My Way Home Is Through You
by Imaginary Enemies
Summary: A few years after the war, Zuko and Katara have to face the challenges of the post-war world, and to try and find Zuko's mother. T for language & situations  ;
1. Chapter 1

**New Zutara series of mine (: Please review, give me tips on what to do and what not, to do! I really appreciate them, please!**

**Summary: Zuko has been Fire Lord for 2 years and is dating Katara. This is a look into what their life has become, and the journy to find his mother. **

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><p>It was a breezy, summer day in the Fire Nation. The sun was out and streaming through the Fire Lord's office windows. The curtains were blowing gently in the breeze, and the scent of the garden just outside the windows were filling the room. Even with the beautiful weather, Fire Lord Zuko found himself upset and in a manic mood.<p>

Zuko sunk into his chair and groaned. "Mother..._fucker_." He mumbled to himself. The newly appointed Fire Lord was currently enveloped with finding his mother. Ever since his coronation, he's been attempting to track her down. Ozai, not suprisngly, was of no help whatsoever. He was forced to find her on his own. Yet, he had so such luck.

He was still leaning back into his chair, staring off into the corner of the dark red room, when he heard a quiet knock on his office door. He looked up and commanded the knocker to come in.

The door opened slowly and Katara's head poked through. "Are you busy?" She asked. He shook his head and she entered. She was wearing baggy capri sweats and a small red tanktop, looking like she was just working on her waterbending. Her hair was up in a sleek pony tail, with loose strands sticking to her face from sweat. She leaned forward on his desk, eyeing him.

"...Can I help you?" Zuko awkwardly asked her.

"Yeah..." Katara squinted as if the sun were in her eyes. She still just looked at him. "What!" Zuko boomed. Katara smiled. Zuko's head fell into his hands. He heard the shuffling of papers and waited for her to read them.

"Hmph." Katara moved the papers back to where they were and walked over behind Zuko, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I came to get you out of this stuffy room and go and spend time with me" She murmered into his good ear.

"I can't..."Zuko started, until he heard Katara huff. "But you never leave this office! You can't keep living like this, Zuko..." She trailed off when he moved to get up.

"Katara," he whispered, not making eye contact with her. "This is really important to me, you know that. It's my obligation to... to save her."

"Yes, but you can't over work yourself. You're doing harm to your body by constantly stressing over this. We'll find her, I promise," She said softly.

He turned around and leaned back onto his desk, and sighed. "Fine. Maybe you're right," he admitted. "I could use a break."

Katara playfully rolled her eyes. "Of course I'm right, stupid. Now come spar with me, I'm bored."

Zuko sighed, but smiled. "Okay. Be ready to get your ass kicked by the Fire Lord." He teased as he stood and grabbed her hand. Maybe this is what he needed.

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><p>After the sparring session, both Katara and Zuko were laying down on the ground on their backs; completely out of breath.<p>

"Tie?" Zuko tried. He heard Katara giggled. "Sure, I'm too tired now to beat you up." Zuko laughed and got up. He looked at his tiny girlfriend laying there on the floor.

"Are you going to get up...?" Zuko asked as he walked over and kneeled down next to her.

"Smeh." She responded. "Carry me..."

In an instant Zuko picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. To scare her, he started to run. She was screaming, but with happiness, until one of his most trusted council members walked into the room, and eyed them. Zuko realised how dumb he must look and put her down. The council man, known as Chaz, rolled his eyes.

"Fire Lord, we have another word on your mother's whereabouts." Zuko scowled, knowing it was just another false hope. Katara let out a steamy sigh, angry that she had _finally_ got him into a good mood and now they have to bring up his biggest worry.

"Okay. Meet me in the office." Zuko responded in a monotonous voice. Chaz nodded and left. Zuko turned around and took Katara by the waist. She gave him a concerned look.

"Do you want to me come?" She offered.

He shook his head. "No, it's fine. I'll handle it. You need something to eat."

She scoffed. "So do you! You barely eat." Katara put her hands on Zukos biceps, not wanting him to leave yet.

"I'll eat, I promise, Kitten." Zuko said and kissed the top of her nose. He turned and then left Katara in the big room by herself. She sighed and went to shower.

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><p>Zuko slammed his fists down on his desk. "What do you mean you don't think we should go after her at all!" The candles in the dark rooms started flickering intensly. Chaz, however, did not cower back as most people would.<p>

"Fire Lord, she has been missing for years. They change her location so often we wouldn't be able to get her back here. She's not being mistreated in any way; maybe she could escape on her own."

"Chaz, you know if she tried to escape she would be here. She's just waiting for a rescue, I know it!" Zuko yelled at him. He sat down and pinched the bridge of his nose between his two forefingers. "This is bullshit and you know it. You think that I'm not living up to my expectations as a Fire Lord because of this, don't you," he stated. He looked at him dead in the eyes for a straight forward answer. Chaz, for once, shifted uncomfortably.

"Yes. I think you have been occupying yourself with your mothers well being that you havn't been paying attention to the bigger problem." Before Zuko could interrupt, he held up a hand and continued. "The Fire Nation needs rebuilding, Fire Lord. It's time to start that help, _now_." Chaz finished, and looked Zuko dead on, right into his golden eyes.

Zuko sighed, accidentally letting out stream from his nose. "Leave, Chaz. I can't deal with this or you right now." Chaz bowed and left Zuko to his thoughts.

Zuko has helped rebuild the Fire Nation. He cleaned up his fathers mess as much as he could. The could at least let him find his own mother. What he really wanted was a drink, but he told Katara he'd lay off of it because she didn't like when he came into their room, drunk as a bum, and passed out on the bed. The bottles of Fire Nation wine sat in the corner. He closed his eyes, and thought of Katara's words. He wanted to drink away his feelings and stresses, but she had said that how alcoholics begin. The Fire Nation can't have a Fire Lord that's an alcoholic...That wouldn't be fair to his people.

He decided to cease the temptation of the alcohol, he'd seek out Katara instead.

And that was exactly what he was setting out to do. Roaming the hallyways of the palace, he found their room. It was late, and he was hoping she'd be asleep so he could just climb in and cuddle her. She always teased him for being such a 'cuddler', but he argued that it was for comfort.

He walked into the room and found Katara sleeping in the bed. He smiled when she snored a little. He quietly took off his armor and remained in his pants. He scooted under the covers and placed his arm around Katara's waist. He pressed his chest against her back and felt her breathing quicken, signaling she was waking up.

"Zuko?" She mumbled. He kissed her shoulder and told her to go back to sleep. Instead, she twisted in his arms until she was facing him, her blue eyes staring into his gold ones.

"What took so long?" She whispered. Zuko sighed and pulled her closer to him.

"Just some things about my mother." He sighed. Katara listened for more, but felt like he wasn't going to go furthur into depth.

They laid there in silence, listening to each others breathing. Zuko's was rigid, and Katara's was soft. She could feel his heart beating against her head; a little irregular ever since Azula hit him with the lightening-which was meant for her- three years ago.

"You're worrying again." Zuko stated. Katara jumped, almost forgot that he was even there. He just felt like a big, heated, protective blanket when he held her like that.

"About what?" She tried to match his snide tone, but failed. He chuckled. "About me, I'm sure. Plus, I know you were thinking about my heart and the lightening again."

Katara opened her mouth, but Zuko cut her off. "Your breathing always gets soft and you try to listen."

"Oh." She said. Zuko laughed. "You don't have to worry about me, Kitten. I can take care of myself." He kissed the top of her forehead. She sighed. He knew she didn't believe him, but he didn't want to get into it.

Zuko was sure that what he was feeling lately was a phase due to stress. He was positive other Fire Lord's have been driven to drink when he was stressed or upset. At least, that's what he was going to convince himself.

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><p>It was a strangely cool day in the Fire Nation as Katara sat at the small turtleduck pond in the private garden. She was creating small whirlpools with her and watched the young turtleducks swim in and out of each one; going from one to the other. She giggled as two banged into each other and started squwaking angerly at one another.<p>

Katara turned when she heard soft footsteps approaching her. She smiled to see it was Uncle Iroh, with, of coruse, a tray of tea.

"Hello, Lady Katara. I hope you don't mind me intruding with some tea!" Iroh jovially said. Katara smiled and patted the grass next to her. "Of course not, Uncle. And I told you not to call me Lady Katara anymore! Just Katara." She smiled. Iroh chuckled, yet shook his head.

"I'm just showing my upmost respect for you, and it's just became a habit." He explained with a smile. He sat down and placed the tea try in between them. He poured a cup and passed it to Katara, who eagerly sipped it. It tasted like some sort of raspberry, which could easily become her new favorite.

"So, _Katara_," Iroh started, and put emphasis on her name with a smile, "How is it going with my nephew?" He asked as he nonchalantly sipped his tea.

Katara blushed and looked down, swirling the tea inside of her cup. "We're doing great, Uncle." She smiled into her cup. She always got butterfly's talking about her and Zuko's relationship with anyone, even Suki. She looked over at Iroh who was grinning big at her.

"Should I be expecting grandnieces and nephews soon?" He joked as he wiggled his eyebrows at her. Katara's eyes got big and the blush on her cheeks turned into a deeper red.

"We...We aren't even married yet, Uncle! That's silly." She said, trying to keep her composure. Iroh, still smirking, took a long sip of his tea. Katara shifted uncomfortably.

"Why do you ask?" Katara asked, hoping to break silence

"Just wondering." Iroh said, and smiled. She smiled sheepishly back, unsure what he was going at. She took another sip of her tea and watched the turtleducks. She saw one of the mother turtleducks guide her childern to the other side of the pond. Katara wondered about a life with Zuko and children. She personally felt he'd make a great father in an attempt to make up for his own lost childhood.

Katara was snapped out of her thoughts when Iroh spoke again. "I do hope he proposes to you soon, Lady Katara."

Katara blushed, again, and looked down. "I don't think now's the right time, Uncle."

"Well, why not?" Iroh furrowed his eyebrows, thinking Katara would've gushed about wanting to marry his nephew.

"The Fire Nation needs him right now. He's really focused on finding his mother, too. I don't think a wedding would be a good idea right now..." Katara admitted. "Not that I don't want to marry Zuko. I think that'd be...wonderful." Katara smiled to herself.

"I see..." Iroh said, and took another long sip of his tea. Katara started to worry. What was he thinking about...?

"Does Zuko seem...off to you?" Iroh questioned.

"Yes, I actually have noticed that."

"He needs a break, don't you think?"

Katara laughed. "You know he won't accept a break."

"True, true." He chuckled. "Maybe you can just get him to take a day off. A day spent with you will do wonders for him." Iroh chuckled again, and Katara smiled at him. "I'll try." She said. Iroh patted her hand and stood up.

"I'm afraid I'll have to cut our time short, I'm needed in the meeting room in a few minutes." He collected the empty tea cups and tray, and carried it back into the palace. Alone once again, Katara slumped and sighed. Of course she has thought about marriage, but already? She wasn't ready to become Fire Lady. She didn't know anything about the Fire Nation politics.

_Of course, Mai would make a great Fire Lady._ She thought to herself. She gasped and shook her head to get rid of that thought. Mai could make a great Fire Lady, but not a great wife to Zuko. Katara knew that Zuko wants a wife and a Fire Lady at his side, not either or. He obviously thought Katara was a good candidate; why else would they still be together after two years?

She sighed. Maybe she should bring up marriage with Zuko.

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><p>Iroh walked in during a heated argument between two of the council members. He saw Zuko was not looking angry, but bored. As if he has heard the argument over one thousand times; which he has.<p>

"Enough." The Fire Lord called in a monotonus voice. The councilment glared at each other, then looked respectfully to Zuko. "Please, this argument has nothing to do with the Fire Nation. If you could please set your petty problems aside we can have this meeting." Zuko growled. The men nodded their heads.

"Does anyone have anything else to bring up?" Zuko suggested, straightening up a bit when he realised all eyes were on him. Chaz cleared his voice and stood.

"I believe I do. It's nearing your 20th birthday, my Lord. You shall feel the need to pick a wife and produce an heir soon." Chaz stated, and sat back down. The other noblemen whispered to each other, shocked that the Lord hasn't asked his waterbender's hand in marriage yet.

"Thank you for your concern, Chaz," Zuko grumbled, but then lightened his tone of voice. "But, I don't think anyone needs the stress of planning a wedding as of right now. The Fire Nation is still in need of repairs and we still have to help the Earth Kingdom with the damages my father has done."

"Nephew, at least you could propose the beautiful Lady Katara." Iroh suggested. Zuko looked at him, wondering where that had come from. He attempted to hide the blush rising up to his cheeks, and he then narrowed his eyes. "I will when I feel it is the right time, Uncle."

"So we shouldn't have our female relatives come to meet you?" One of the noblemen asked, concerned he won't have a daughter as a Fire Lady. Zuko scoffed. "No, that won't be necessary. Katara is the one for me and I know that. I just don't think I need the stress." He paused, scanning the room. He could tell by the eager eyes of the councilmen that this topic was far from over. "This meeting is over." Zuko stood up, as well as the council members and noblemen. They all bowed in his exit, and Iroh followed him swiftly behind.

"Nephew, I think you should reconsidar..." Iroh started, but stopped when Zuko quickly turned around and met his gaze. He has grown taller, almost a head taller than Iroh.

"Uncle, with all do respect, I don't _need_ that kind of stress on me. I need to rebuild the Fire Nation, repair the Earth Kingdom, help Aang in the Air temples, and find my mother!" He steamed, and turned and went into his office. Iroh sighed. He really wanted those grandbabies.

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><p><strong>First Chapter done! Reviews please. I have chapter two almost finished, so that'll be out eventually :3 <strong>


	2. Chapter 2

Zuko stormed into his office and sat down. There were new papers on his desk reguarding the Earth Kingdom, but he didn't have the will to look at them. He leaned back in his chair and just sat there, zoning off into one of the corners of the room. He heard a quiet knock at the door.

"Come in." He quietly said. The door opened and Katara came through. She saw the weary look on his face and decided against talking to him about marriage, which was why she came into his office in the first place.

"Zuko are you okay?" She asked, walking around his desk. She sat on the part of the desk next to his chair and folded her hands in her lap. She could tell he wasn't, but she really wanted to know if he would shar with her what's upsetting him. She wasn't sure what else to do except talk about it.

"Zuko..." She called for him again, and he finally moved his eyes to her. He smirked, and grabbed her hands, pulling her onto his lap. She let out a gasp out of suprise, but was happy to see he wasn't shutting her out like he's done before.

He swung her legs over the arm of the chair and positioned his arm under her back so the other arm of the chair wouldn't hurt her. He started rubbing her back with his thumb, and stared at the floor. Yet, he found a cetrain comfort with the only person that truly made him happy.

"What's wrong?" Katara tried again, moving her hand to his scar. She traced the outer part of it with her thumb, hoping it would get him to tak. Still silent, she sighed and dropped her hand.

"I'm just stressed." He finally answered. Katara figured he didn't want to talk about it, so she sighed and laid her head on his shoulder. He grabbed her by the thigh and pulled her closer to him, thankful she was staying quiet. That's what he loved about her; she knew when to talk and when not to talk, and she always knew exactly what to say to make him feel better.

Then, there was a sudden knock on the door that made the couple jump. Katara slid off of Zuko's lap and stood next to him with her hands clasped behind her back before he commanded the person to come in.

In walked Mai. Her jet black hair was up in a tight bun, and she was in a red and gold kimono, looking a little irritated. Katara refrained from glaring at her, and gave her a forced smile, semi-hoping Mai would notice that she was not welcome.

"Mai...what are you doing here?" Zuko asked, leaning forward in his chair. Mai shut the door behind her and walked closer to the desk, looking at Zuko and not even glancing at the water bender.

"I'm the representative my parents sent about Omashu." She said monotonously. Zuko nodded while Katara stood next to him fuming. She certainly did not want Zuko and Mai alone together, afraid that she would try to _seduce_ him or something because Katara supposedly 'stole him from her'. Their break up was not that pretty, truely. Filled with a lot of accusations, hate, and vases breaking.

"I see. Have a seat and we'll discuss it." He motioned for her to sit down infront of them. "Katara..." Zuko started, but was unsure how to ask her to leave him alone with his ex-girlfriend. He looked up at her, hoping she would understand. She nodded and smiled.

"I know, I'll go." She said, and kissed his scar. Zuko contained the blush from the affection and watched her leave. Mai, on the other hand, was fuming at how the waterbender could easily tease her like that. She watched Zuko as his eyes followed the waterbender out of the room. She knew this was going to be difficult.

"So...Omashu." Zuko started, hoping to start the conversation to quickly get it over with. He had no idea Mai was going to be the representative her parent's were going to send. They probably sent her thinking he would immediantly take her back and make her his wife and Fire Lady.

_Ha, fat fucking chance..._ He thought to himself, and held back a grin.

"Yes, well, my parents wanted me to discuss with you the ways you wanted to help our economy since the treasurer was a fraud." Mai stated calmy, but couldn't hold back from clenching her fists. A man her father hired after the war to keep note of the money was not on their side, and somehow lost all of Omashu's money and put the city into poverty.

"Right. There aren't many ways that the Fire Nation can truely help Omashu...but there are a few things that the councilmen have come up with the past few weeks in preparation for uh...your arrival." Zuko said. He and Mai talked through the ways the Fire Nation could help, like sending in merchants to help the economy grow and lend money over to help the worst poverty stricken areas.

After about half an hour of discussing,they concluded it would take some time, and that Mai was grateful to have talked to him about the problems. She got up to leave.

"Thanks, Zuko. My family and all of Omashu will be grateful to you and the Fire Nation's help. It was...nice spending time with you again." She finshed, with a small smile. She lingered, as if waiting for Zuko to call her back, but then left. Zuko let out a releaved sigh that nothing happened, but he still had a headache.

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><p>Mai left Zuko's office and shut the door behind her. She lingered for a minute, deciding on whether to talk to Zuko about their relationship. Katara found her with her hand on the knob, about to go back in. Katara scowled and cleared her throat.<p>

"What are you doing." She demanded as she crossed her arms and leaned against the wall. Mai, who jumped and turned around, glared right back at her. "I forgot to tell Zuko something, if you don't mind." She calmly said, putting her hands in her sleaves, touching her knives. Katara rolled her eyes and pushed herself from the wall.

"If you had to tell him something, then you would've gone it without hesitation. I watched you stand there for almost a minute." She paused, and smirked. "He's not going to take you back, you know."

Mai's face reddened, more in anger than embarrassment. Before she could do anything she regretted, she left. If she was ever going to get Zuko back, she'd have to semi-respect Katara. She walked right past Katara without giving her a second look. Katara turned to watch the woman leave, and as soon as Mai rounded the first corner, Katara bolted for Zuko's office and barged in without knocking.

When she walked in, Zuko had his head in his hands; already surrounded by paperwork. When Katara entered, his head bolted up to see who had disturbed him.

"Why was Mai here?" Katara asked with fake sweetness. Zuko sighed and leaned back in his chair while Katara leaned down on his desk.

"Just to talk about Omashu." He cooly answered. She looked away for a second, and then met up with his golden eyes. "Why did her parents send _her_ and not a real representative?"

"I'm not sure. I think it's so if we talk again, then i'll somehow fall back in love with her and leave you..." Zuko said. Katara's heart pace quickened. Zuko saw the panic on his girlfriends face and laughed. "Please don't tell me you think I'd fall for that. That's a little mean to me, saying I'm stupid enough to leave you and go back to the dry relationship I had with Mai."

Katara sat down in the chair across his desk, her cheeks blushing. "I didn't think that..." She said, as she looked around the room. Zuko chuckled.

"There is nothing to worry about, Kitten." He frowned. "Though, I have to leave for Omashu in a few days."

Katara looked up at him and pouted. "Why?"

"To help rebuild the money system in Omashu. It's really a mess, what that man did to them. It's only going to be two weeks, and then I'll be back." He looked up to see Katara pouting her lips out like a little child.

Zuko looked down at his papers and chuckled. Even though he seemed like that her little pout was cute to him, he knew she was actually sad and he didn't want to see her like that. Katara and Zuko were very in tune with each other, they always knew if something was wrong, when to talk, when not to talk, and when they just wanted to cuddle.

"I'm sorry, Kitten. I gotta go, though." He said, looking up at her with pleading eyes. Katara huffed. "Are you going with Mai?" Zuko's face reddned as he shuffled through more papers.

"Ehm...Yes. She will be there."

Katara crossed her arms and scowled. "Oh?" She said. Zuko rolled his eyes at her and stopped shuffling the papers. "Mhm."

She huffed and got up to leave, but Zuko stopped her. "You could come with me?" He offered. She turned around and raised an eyebrow.

"You want me to come with you, or do you want me to not feel bad?"

"I want you to come because I'll be sad away from you and I'd need some entertainment." He winked. Katara rolled her eyes, but smiled.

"And I'll miss you," Zuko smirked. "So that's why you're coming with me. I can't leave you for 2 weeks." Katara smiled and went around the desk and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I love you." She said as she quickly pecked him on the nose.

"Yeah, yeah." He said. She gave him another kiss and left the room, leaving Zuko to do his work. The second the big, black door closed, he sunk back into his chair and rubbed his hands over his face. He had way too much to deal with, and the Omashu thing was probably the worst. He eyed the alcohol table again, and then eyed the door.

_One drink couldn't hurt..._ He reasoned with himself. He got up and hesitantly made his way over to the table. He poured himself a glass and downed the liquid in a second. He coughed a little, not realising he picked the strongest of the alcohols on the table. He poured another and gulped it down. Another one down, and he was starting to feel a little relaxed. He took the bottle and the glass to his desk, and downed another glass. He put his head down and closed his eyes, trying to forget everything he had to worry about.

But the more he tried to forget, the more he remembered. Help Omashu, help the Earth Kingdom, aid both Water Tribes, trip to Omashu, Mai, make sure crime levels are still down, try to not get assassinated, hold dinners for the consorts and nobelmen, peace talks with Aang, finding his mother, making sure his father doesn't try anything and keeping him locked up, and Katara. Even though he knew it was a little selfish, but Katara was his main concern.

He didn't know if she was ready for marriage, but he has to soon or the council will make him marry one of their female relatives. He took another gulp of his liquor and slammed his cup down in his desk. He knew she was the one he was going to marry, and he wanted it to be soon. But it was at the worst time. Even after three years, he still felt the Fire Nation was a huge mess. Even though his council thinks it's time, he still felt there was too much to go through, and plan a wedding at the same time. Plus, Katara needed to be educated in everything Fire Nation. From the history, to the government, to now.

He poured more into his cup, and took another swing. Things were starting to get a little hazy, but Zuko thought he should go get Katara and talk about getting married. _Couldn't be more perfect timing, really._ Drunk Zuko reasoned with himself. He pushed himself from his chair and staggered over to the heavy door. He pulled it open and tripped outside.

Iroh was walking by when he opened the door, and his smile went into a frown. He held onto Zuko's arms and pushed him back into his office without saying anything.

"Whoa, Uncle. I was just-just going to see Katara." Zuko mumbled. Iroh turned and closed the door. When he turned back around, he had a sad frown on his face.

"Zuko, why are you drinking?"

Zuko scoffed. "You make that sound really bad." He said as he went to sit back down in his chair infront of the desk. Iroh sat in the chair across from the chair as he watched Zuko slump furthur into his seat. He eyed the bottle on the table and frowned.

"Zuko, how much of that have you had? You know it's strong." He said. Zuko laughed and shook his head. Iroh continued. "And it is 'really bad'. You're drinking for the wrong reasons, Zuko." Iroh advised. Zuko waved his hand, as if to swat away any idea of that.

"How do you know?"

"Because I know you, Nephew. You aren't one to drink at lunch time. And, Katara has told me-"

"Ohhh, so she has told you about me and my drinks!" He slumped forward against the desk. He glared at Iroh the best he could, but eventually put his head down on the desk. "I dunno why I do it, Uncle."

Iroh shook his head and put his hand on Zuko's shoulder. "I do. Alcoholl is an anti-depressant, Zuko. There are other ways to deal with what you're feeling, Zuko." Zuko did a deep chuckle, and lifted his head up. "And how could I do that?" He got up and walked around his desk, and started to speak again before Iroh could even open his mouth.

"You know, it's pretty fucking hard to be me. I mean, I have to deal with everyones elses problems because they're too stupid to do it on their own, I have to make the stupid council and dumbass noblemen happy all of the time, and I wanna find my mother. But I'm _not allowed_, apparently." He staggered forward and pointed a finger in Irohs face. "But you wanna know what fuels all of this? Stupid fucking Ozai." He leaned back in his desk and crossed his arms. He was quiet, but Iroh knew not to speak. Really, he didn't know what to say to that.

"I don't wanna be like him. I don't wanna be a tyrant who is so selfish to try and rule the world. I wanna help people. But everytime I look in the mirror, I see this stupid scar he gave me. Then when I try to imagine myself without it, I just see him."

He slumped down into the ground and put his head in his hands. Iroh got up and sat down next to him, putting a reassuring arm around his nephews shaking shoulders.

"You're doing a great job, Zuko. You're nothing like him, even if you look like him. You need to embrace the scar as a symbol of bravery, to have survived that horrible, horrible man and the horrible things he did to everybody."

They sat there for a while, both saying nothing. Zuko's shoulders continued to shake, and Iroh continued to attempt to comfort him. Everyone knew the stress would get to him. Iroh was afraid this was going to happen. Zuko always tried to put on a stone face, but on the inside he was breaking.

"I'm going to get you some tea to ward off the alcohol." Iroh announced. He got up and as did Zuko. "Uncle?" Zuko called. Iroh turned around. "Please don't tell Katara I did this. She'll be really angry. And she's not fun when she's angry." Zuko mumbled. Iroh nodded and left, but not without taking the liquor bottle. Zuko sat back into the chair, trying to stop the thoughts. Alcohol did help until his uncle had to come over and ruin the buzz or whatever it was at this point.

He sat in his chair, waiting for his uncle. He hoped Katara wouldn't come in here. He didn't want her to see him like this. He knew he was a failure, and that he was weak. Most Fire Lord's could deal with all of this, so why can't he? He started tapping his foot; his anxiety rising. Uncle needed to come back soon or Zuko would be tempted to go and find more booze.

Luckily, Iroh did. He came in with a tray of cups, and a pot of tea. He set it down on the table infront of Zuko and poured him a cup. He handed it to him and didn't let go until Zuko had a firm grip. Zuko gulped it sound and scrunched up his face.

"That's really bitter."

"That's the point." Iroh smiled. Zuko shook his head, but was feeling a little more sober. He took another sip and forced it down. He drank the whole pot in 15 minutes. Setting down the cup, he looked at Iroh, who was obviously thinking about something. His eyebrows were furrowed and his mouth was turned into a frown. Zuko watched him for a minute until speaking.

"Are you okay, Uncle?" He asked. Iroh snapped out of it and immediantly smiled at him. "Of course, Nephew. Just thinking." Before Zuko could say anything else, Iroh switched the subject. "How did the tea work?" Zuko scrunched up his face.

"It was awful but it worked." He said. Iroh nodded and stood up. He collected the cup and put it on the tray, and then picked up the tray and started to walk out. Before he did, he turned a little to look at Zuko. "Will you be okay?" He asked. Zuko nodded. Iroh left without another word. Zuko was alone and free to do what he wanted. To distract himself, he flooded himself with paperwork.

He looked over scrolls and treaties and trade movements and any other official papers a person could imagine. He missed dinner, though he wasn't even hungry. Katara had come in multiple times but he was too involved to really talk to her. Before he knew it, it was eleven at night and he could barely keep his eyes open. He organized his papers and place them neatly on his desk. He blew out the candles and made his way through the dim lighted corridors. He was hoping Katara was asleep so he could just crawl into bed with her and go to sleep. But that wasn't the case. When he opened the door, he did not find her in the bed. He closed it, and saw her in the chair behind the door, playing with her hair. Her face was contorted into a worrysome frown as she braided her hair. When the door closed, she looked up.

"It's almost midnight, Zuko. What were you doing?" She asked. Zuko sighed and went to the dresser. He took off his armor and placed it inside before answering her. He rubbed his neck and faced her again.

"Paperwork." He answered simply. Katara looked at the floor, the frown still plastered to her face. Zuko sighed and kneeled down infront of her. He took her hands in his, and held them. They were ice cold, but felt nice.

"Zuko, I need to ask you something." She said quietly. Zuko took a shakey breath, afraid of her question. "Yes?"

She looked into his golden eyes, but then at the ground again. She really didn't want to ask him, for she was afraid he'd be offended, or mad that she was trying to get into his head. Plus, she didn't even know how to word it properly. So, she just blurted it out.

"Are you depressed?"

She looked up at him, to try and read his face. He was a little shocked, and his eyebrows were knitted together. He looked away, and stood up. He made his way over to the connecting bathroom, but before he went in, he said, "I don't know." And shut the door. Katara sighed and rubbed her hands on her face. She got up from the chair and made her way into the oversized bed, where her little cat was sleeping.

Zuko got it for her for her seventeenth birthday months ago. She was named Akira, and was a little black, fluffy mess. Zuko got her for Katara, for he was afraid Katara would get lonely because of his Fire Lord duty. Akira, aside from Zuko, was Kataras comfort. When Katara laid down on the bed, surrounding herself with pillows and blankets, the little cat crawled over and laid on Katara stomach, kneeding the blanket over stop of it.

Katara sighed and bit her lip while stroking her cat. Zuko had to come out of the bathroom soon, and then they'd talk about it. No water was running, and he was making no noise. She took another shakey breath and closed her eyes. She was afraid of Zuko's real answer, which is most likely 'yes'. She waited for what seemed like forever for him to come out, and he finally did. He was wearing nothing but his pants, and threw his other clothes to the floor near the dresser. He climbed into bed next to Katara, snaked his arm around her waist, and pulled her to his chest.

They sat together in silence, and though Katara was enjoying his warmth and comfort, she was afraid he wasn't going to talk about her question any longer. She decided to be pushy, and bring it up again.

"Are you going to answer me, Zuzu?" She asked. Zuko shifted her in his arms, and sighed. He knew he couldn't ignore her on this one.

"I did, Kitten." He answered. Katara sighed and sat up. She faced him and crossed her arms. "Do you want my opinion, then?" She asked him. Zuko chuckled and laid his head back on the pillow. He closed his eyes and smirked. "I just want to cuddle you." He said in his sweetest voice.

Katara scoffed. "That's not going to work, Zuko." She raised her eyebrow, egging him on. He stretched his arms and put them behind his head. His eyes still closed. Katara waited. He was still silent. She narrowed her eyes.

"Zuko!" She poked his side. "I'm serious. Please tell me whats going on." Zuko's smirk faded a little, but he was still silent. Katara decided to take initiatve and get it out of him. She threw off the covers that were on her and straddled her Fire Lord. This made Zuko open his eyes and bring the smirk back to his face. But he looked up to Katara, and looked into her sad blue orbes and frowned yet again. She leaned down and put her forehead on his, placing her hands on either side of his face.

"Are you okay?" She tried again. He wrapped his arms around his small waterbender and sighed.

"I don't know, Katara. I'm just stressed." He finally confessed. Katara rolled off of him but clung to his side. She drew circles on his chest and over the scar where he recieved the lightening from Azula.

"I don't think it's just stress. I think you're depressed, too." Before Zuko could say anything, she sat up and put her hand up. "Here's why I think this. You aren't yourself, you're drowning yourself in work, you don't eat, you don't sleep! I feel you get out of bed every night, Zuko. And to top it all off, you're drinking. Which is bad." She traced his lightening scar when she stopped talking.

"I see what you're saying, but...I don't know." Zuko said. He squeezed his eyes tight, trying to organize his thoughts. Katara leaned forward and kissed his forehead, and then his mouth ever so lightly. "Whatever is going on with you, you're not alone. Okay?" She said. He opened his eyes and smiled. She laid her head down on his chest and he wrapped blankets and his arms around her.

_Oh yes, Zuko thought, she is deffinantly, going to be my Fire Lady. _

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><p><em><strong>Chapter dos wheee. This was insanely long, hopefully I'll keep up that trend! Please review, they're oh so helpful and lovely. Even if it just says "Great Job" love it!<strong>_

_**By the way, every time I tried spelling "Omashu" I kept spelling out "Obama" fml peace love america.. haha. **_


	3. Chapter 3

**Sick day, decided to do Chapter 3! Please review AND favorite/alert, NOT EITHER/OR OKAY THANKS. & LEMON WARNING**

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><p>Zuko stood outside on the connecting balcony of his and Katara's bedroom. It was around 3 in the morning, and the moon was shining bright. He couldn't sleep. Again. Whenever he did sleep, he had dreams that were filled with anxiety. Each one different than the next. He woke up sick to his stomach and anxious. The best he could do was walk around and wake himself up more. He leaned forward on the balcony, looking over his mothers favorite garden.<p>

Whenever Zuko needed her, this is where she normally was. Reading a book, writing scrolls, or playing pai sho and drinking tea with Uncle. She once told him that it was _their_ garden, not just hers. But he never felt right saying it was his too. She deserved something of her own, he thought.

He cluched his hands on the rail and squeezed his eyes shut. He couldn't take it anymore; he needed to know where she was.

He went into the room and put on boots, a shirt, and his cloak. He hoped Katara was still sound asleep, and wouldn't wake up to him leaving. He opened the door and shut it gently. He stormed down the moonlit hallway. Every guard he passed gave him a curious look, but did nothing. When he got outside the palace walls, he put up his cloak. He went to the stable and took an ostrich horse. He took the backroads to the way there, he didn't want anyone seeing him.

When he arrived, one of the guards took the ostrich horse and gave Zuko a puzzling look. Zuko didn't return any sort of look, and continued walking toward the building. When he got there, he took the too-familiar path down to his least favorite cell. When he got there, the guard there halted him. When Zuko took down his hood, the guard bowed and gave Zuko permission to enter.

He opened the shut the door with such a velocity, Ozai hadn't even known there was a visitor. The man looked up from his bed and smirked. He crawled up to the front of his cell and placed his arms through the metal bars.

"Zuko, what a nice suprise." Ozai mocked. Zuko stepped forward without saying anything. "I'm sure it's very late at night...What have you come for this time? Advice? A chat?"

Zuko only narrowed his eyes, wanting to get down to business and skip the stupid chatter. Ozai realised why he came and laughed. He fell backward and landed on his back, still laughing. Zuko took another step closer and kneeled down.

"I'm not telling you where she is." Ozai said, still lying on his back. "Yes, you will." Zuko stated. "The only reason I'm keeping you alive is for that answer. Until then, you're nothing to me."

"No," Ozai sat up, but still hunched. "You're only keeping me alive because your little Avatar friend decided to spare me." He paused and smirked. "I don't think your mother would want to see the likes of you, anyway. You're a failure." Zuko launched toward Ozai, taking him by his grey beard and pulling him close to his face.

"Tell me where she is." He commanded. Ozai sniggered again. Zuko made a fire blade and stuck it through the bars, dangerously close to his own fathers neck. "Where is she!" He tugged harder on the beard.

"Aren't you the all mighty, good natured Fire Lord? Aren't you smart enough to figure out where she is?" Zuko moved the fire blade closer to Ozai, singeing off part of his hair.

"I don't know how, but you keep changing her position. I have spotters everywhere, and they see her in a different place almost every week." Zuko let go of his beard and then the man fall to the ground. Zuko grabbed hold of the bars and leaned in. "Just tell me where she is."

Once again, Ozai laughed. He got up and went to the back of the cell. He leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "I'm not sure, all might Fire Lord. She really just could be anywhere." He sneered at his own son, and Zuko glared back.

"Your own wife! You keep her locked up and abused, the mother of your own children. I don't know anyone was cynical as you, Ozai." Zuko released the bars and went to leave. Ozai cleared his voice, signaling he wasn't finished.

"She's not abused, let me tell you. I gave orders for her to not be hurt, just to be away from the Fire Nation." He smirked. "Really, Zuko. Use your head." Zuko turned around and shot a blast of fire toward the cell. It stopped just before it reached his fathers face, and Zuko left before he could see the smug look that was always drawn on his face.

Zuko stormed out of the prison tower with a vengance. He took the ostrich horse and breezed down the backroads, back to the palace. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep now. Instead, he put the ostrich horse back in the barn, and went straight for his office. His hood was not up, yet he did not look at anyone passing by. Again, the guards had puzzled faces as to why their Fire Lord was stalking around the palace at three in the morning.

When Zuko reached his office, he slammed the door and shot a flame at the opposite wall of him. He pushed the papers off of his desk and sat down in the chair, burying his head in his arms. He gripped his arms as he tried his hardest not to start sobbing like an infant. He sat there for minutes, his eyes closed tight. He thought about nothing. He felt nothing. He was lost in his own mind, but yet was thinking of just nothing.

His head shot up when the office door opened. Katara walked through the gently closed the door. He sat up, and then leaned back. She turned and stood at him, holding her arms with a concerned look drawn on her face. He did not make eye contact with her, instead focusing on her hair. It was up in a messy bun, with random pieces falling out all over her head and face. Zuko always thought she looked the most beautiful when she wasn't trying at all. He could tell all she was thinking about was him, which he didn't like. He didn't want anyone worrying about him.

When he made eye contact with her, she neared him, but didn't say anything. When she got to his desk, she held out her hand. He looked at it, knowing that she was trying to comfort him. He didn't want to take her hand, but he did. She tugged, signaling for him to get up. And he did. He got up and walked over next to her. She gave him a weak smile and led them out of the office, and down the hall to the bedroom.

When they got to the room, she took off his cloak and led him to the bed. There, she sat down and held her arms out for him.

"You don't need to comfort me." Zuko said, still standing on the edge of the bed.

"Yeah, I don't really care though." Katara answered. She stuck out her lip and stretched her arms out more. He smirked and rolled his eyes, but slid into her arms. She laid back with his head on her chest and one muscular arm around her middle. She stroked his hair and he closed his eyes.

"Why are you up?" She whispered. Zuko shook his head and sighed. He made a decision that he would tell her what's been going through his mind, but not now. He knew he wasn't ready to face the truth. So he stayed silent, which was the card he always played when he didn't want to tell her things.

Katara silently gave up, knowing he wasn't going to talk. Again. She would get it out of him eventually, but maybe he wasn't ready. Instead, they sat in their bed with the moon shining down on them. Zuko's eyes were closed, and his arm was clasped around her waist. She was dragging her fingures lazily through his hair. She always loved his hair for some reason. She hoped that their children would have his hair type and not her thick, curly locks. She blushed, knowing Zuko couldn't see her, about the thought of their kids.

"Zuko?" Katara asked. He opened his eyes and tilted his head up a little, looking at her. "Yes?" He answered sleepily. She gave a girlish grin before she continued.

"Remember when we were at the Southern Air Temple, and we just welcomed you to be Aangs firebending teacher...and you thought you lost your bending?" She giggled. Zuko smirked and bit at her exposed hip, leaving her squirming trying to get away.

"I thought you were trying to comfort me?" He said sarcastically.

Katara rolled her eyes. "You said I didn't have to, so I decided to try and embarrass you." She stated, very matter-of-factly.

Zuko grinned and placed his head back down on her stomach. He re-wrapped his arms around her small waist and pulled her closer. "That was when you still hated me." Zuko mumbled.

"What?" Katara asked. Zuko lifted up his head and said again, "I said that was when you still hated me." He said, this time with a smirk. Katara giggled again.

"I had my right to."

"I still thought you were pretty hot." He said slyly. She flicked him on the good side of his face and out right laughed. "It's true!" He defended himself. "You were very cute when you were yelling at me. You still are." He quirked an eyebrow. She laughed and sat up, fixing her hair.

"You go through mood swings a lot." She said. He, too, sat up, and rolled his eyes. "You just make me happy." He crawled over and kissed her lightly. "You always make me feel betterr." He kissed her again. She pulled him down on top of her and he cuddled her close to his chest. They fell asleep that way, smilling.

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><p>A few days later, it was the morning of the trip to Omashu. Instead of packing, though, Zuko had the idea for an early morning romp.<p>

They were laying on their bed, her underneath him, only in their wrappings. Zuko planted hot kisses from her ribs to her belly button, making her squirm underneath him. When he dared to go lower, she fisted her hand in his hair. He bit at her wrappings and started sliding them off with his teeth, but stopped and went back to kissing her flat stomach.

"Zuko, oh my god stop being a tease." Katara whined. Zuko chuckled and continuted kissing down her stomach until he reached the edge of her wrappings. This time she slightly pushed his head, egging him on. He went lower and placed his tounge over her bud and she lifted her hips. He sucked and lapped through the fabric until he knew she was ready for him.

He sat up and slid her wrappings around her hips and off, and he threw them to the floor behind him. She had already undone her breast wrappings and was working on Zuko's pants. Eventually they were both completely exposed to each other. For just a moment, Zuko leaned in and placed his lips on Kataras. She took the first step in deepening it, and ran her tounge on his bottom lip, asking for entrance. He opened his mouth and she explored it.

For some reason, Katara's mind wandered to how lucky she felt. That she felt comfortable enough in front of a man to be completely exposed to was incredible to her. Zuko broke the kiss and moved to her neck, also moving his hand to her bottom, and gripping her closer to him.

Zuko knew they were running out of time and that they needed up speed up the process, so he quickily tightened his grip on her and flipped them over, so she was on top. She bent down and now placed her lips on his neck as she gently lowered himself onto him.

They moved in the perfect sync, like rolling waves in the open was no groping, no begging, no yelling in ecstacy. Just the gentle rolling of their hips together and soft whispers of passion. Whether Zuko would admit it or not, he loved making love with her, not just having sex. He figured out the differences of the two early in the relationship, and he also figured out that Katara loved it rough.

Katara sat up, driving him to go deeper inside of her. She ran her hands from his stomach to his chest, tracing the fire that was building inside of him. He gripped her hips as she grinded herself into him. She mewled and squealed as she came closer. Zuko was so close, but he held off. He always wanted her to come first. Once she did, he did too. She collapsed on top of him, their chests heaving.

"Okay," Zuko said breathlessly, "We should...get going." Katara giggled and climbed off of him. He watched her as she redressed, in simple comfy attire. She turned to him whilst putting up her hair in a sleek pony tail.

"Are you going to get dressed?" She asked, with a laugh in her voice. Zuko nodded his head and smirked when he got up. He, too, got dressed. He wore his armor and put his hair up in the topknot, as always.

When he was finished, he saw Katara standing behind him through the mirror. Her arms were crossed and her eyebrow was raised questioningly.

"What?" Zuko asked, making eyecontact with her through the mirror.

"Do you have to look all... Fire Lord-y today? We're just traveling." She said, moving her arms to his shoulders. Zuko sighed.

"Yeah. I always have to look official, or else I fear they won't take me seriously." He said, turning to take her in his arms. "Besides, Uncle said it's proper for me to do so."

"Oh," Katara said. "Should I...?" She started, but Zuko shook his head before she could finish her question. Before anything more could be said, there was a knock on the door.

"Is my Lord ready?" A counseler asked.

"Ready the carriage. We'll be right out." Zuko ordered. They heard retreating footsteps that faded away They gathered their things and made their way outside, where they would begin their journey to Omashu.

The day almost seemed perfect. The weather was warm, the breeze was cold, and the sun was still high up in the sky. Days like this is why Katara loved the Fire Nation. She loved feeling the suns rays on her skin, warming it. In the Poles, there's no feeling of that. It's always too cold. Even the hottest summer day doesn't compare to this cool, spring day. A guard quickily came to retrive the Fire Lord and Master Waterbender's things, to be put into the carriage. They walked over, and Zuko helped Katara in, and then entered himself.

With no warning, the carriage started. Katara leaned against Zuko and watched the town as it passed by. The citizens stopped what they were doing to watch the royal carriage make its way through the city, in hopes of catching a glance of the Fire Lord and the Master Waterbender. Some bowed, some smiled, others glared.

"Why do people still glare at you?" Katara asked in an annoying tone. Zuko almost chuckled, but didn't. "I'm not sure. I can't bother with them though, wastes of time." He grumbled the last few words, and made Katara giggle.

They sat quietly as they made their way to the docks. As the carriage moved, Katara felt the sun move to her face, warming it. She smiled and closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation. Then, something popped into her mind.

_Zuko never told me why he was so angry the other night..._ She opened her eyes and looked at him. There was a slight smile on his face as he watched the town go by. She couldn't ruin his mood, he's never this content. She decided against talking to him and continued to look out the window. It was a peaceful silence they were in, though Katara was growing anxious with rapid thoughts running through her mind.

She had a feeling that he had done something, or found out something he didn't want to know, and that was why he was mad. Or maybe something worse. But she didn't want her mind to wander that far. She couldn't. She breathed in slowly and let it out just as slow. Whatever he was going through, she was going to be there for him and that was that.

They arrived a little later to the docks. They exited the carriage and walked over to the bridge that led to the ship, but Zuko was stopped. Iroh was standing before there, smiling. Zuko smiled back and walked over to him, hand in hand with Katara.

"Uncle, what are you doing here?" Zuko asked, still smiling.

"You think I wouldn't see my nephew and his beautiful girlfriend off?" Iroh joked. Katara hugged him, but left the two alone. She felt Iroh wanted to talk to him private, so she went up into the ship and waited.

"Zuko, I wanted to talk to you before you left, as well." Zuko huffed from his uncles serious tone, but walked closer, eager on listening to what he has to say.

"It's about Lady Mai." Iroh whipsered. Zuko let out a silent breath of relief. He was afraid he was going to say something about his... 'problems', as Iroh had previously put them. Iroh continued. "I believe she has some sort of intention towards you."

Zuko laughed. "To get me back?"

Iroh nodded. "I think this because she was storming out of the palace the other day. I also heard a fight between her and Katara." Zuko opened his mouth but Iroh held up his hand. "It was not bad, but you need to be warey. This woman could try and destroy you and Katara's relationship while you two are visiting her home there in Omashu."

Zuko narrowed his eyes. "What? How could she do that?"

"I'm not sure. I am just warning you, for I feel there is something going on in that pretty head of hers." Iroh pulled Zuko into a bear hug. "This may be a good time to propose to the Lady Katara, Nephew." Iroh whispered in his ear. Zuko pulled back.

"I don't have the proper engagement necklace for her, so I couldn't." Iroh hit Zuko on the head. "Ow? What was that for!" Zuko yelled, ashamed that the he had just been hit on the head, in public, by his own uncle.

"Then propose an engagement with her. Just talk about it, Zuko." His uncle smiled and reached for Zuko again, but Zuko flinched before being pulled into another bear hug. "Just clear your mind." He let go and pushed Zuko up the bridge where Katara was waiting. She was smiling and waving at Iroh. Zuko looked back at Iroh, and Iroh winked. Zuko felt embarrassment crawling up onto his face but he tried to hide it as much as possible.

He met up with Katara and walked to the rail. As the ship pulled off they waved to Iroh, who was standing alone. When Katara turned around to head to the cabins, Iroh gave the thumbs up sign with a cheeky smile. Zuko, making sure no one was looking, presented him his middle finger, but smirked before turning away to be with his waterbender.

The trip lasted two days, with almost nothing going on. The most exciting thing that happened was when the Fire Lord and the Master waterbender sparred during sunset, when their bending was at its most equal. In the evenings, the crew had a festival night, someone brought out their tsugi horn while the others drank and ate happily.

The trip was, if anything, relaxing. Zuko was thankful for that, for he knew that the days ahead would bring him much stress and trigger him to do things he knew he would regret later. He was lucky that Katara was coming. He never really thought to invite her on a business trip, but maybe he should make a habit of doing so.

The couple was standing on the bow of the deck, Zuko's arm around Katara's waist, with Katara leaning on him. He realised at that moment that that would be the last time he'd probably get to hold Katara like that. The sun was rising, and the air was still crisp. They were schedualed to dock in an hour, and they could already see the shoreline.

There were four figures there, one smaller than all the rest. They couldn't quite make out the faces of the figures, but they would.

"Excited for the next two weeks?" Katara joked. Zuko chuckled and smirked. "Of course." He pulled her closer. "At least I have you here before I would kill myself."

Katara giggled and gripped the railing harder. They were having a really nice moment, and she didn't want to ruin it with the question that was burning in her mind. But she had to know, before Zuko ran out of time to actually sit down and talk with her. So, she decided to ask.

Zuko sighed and stared out at the shoreline. He knew she wouldn't forget; it was out of character if she did. "I went to visit Ozai." Katara gasped, and Zuko narrowed his eyes, trying to keep a stone face.

"Why?" She whipsered.

"Because I couldn't sleep and I wanted answers. My mother was the only thing I could think and dream about, so I decided to go talk to him."

"And he didn't tell you anything." Katara stated. Zuko nodded and they both looked out onto the shore. Katara decided to let it drop, not wanting to ruin Zuko's mood. She snuggled into his chest more and buried her face into his arm. The Earth Kingdom was colder, and she wasn't used to it. Zuko wrapped his arm around her, happy that she wasn't going to press the subject anymore.

Hours passed, and they were soon hoisted to the shore. The Fire Lord, with Katara in tow, walked down the bridge connecting his boat to the land, surveying the crowd of people and the amount of guards.

The four figures they saw before were now clearer. The Governer was standing proudly next to his wife, who was holding their son, Tom-Tom. And, to Zuko and Katara's dislike, Mai was standing askew from the family, looking rather irritated.

When Zuko and Katara finally got to the land, the Governer took large strides to meet them. He extended a hand to Katara and bowed. "So very nice to meet you, Lady Katara. I hear many things about you." He smiled. He turned to Zuko and bowed next. "Thank you, Fire Lord, for coming so soon. I was afraid Omashu won't last very long, but now that you are here, you'll make all the difference."

Zuko smiled, though he knew the Governer was only sucking up to him for multiple reasons. The first being that even though the Governer worked for Ozai and supported him, Zuko did not fire him from governing Omashu. Secretly, Zuko regretted doing so because this man was very incapable of ruling a city. But he had no other choices. The second was that he sincerely needed Zuko's help with the money problems, and that he was far too inept to do it himself. Third and final reason was that he wanted Zuko to go back to Mai so that they could become some sort of a royal family also. Though it was never stated, Zuko knew.

His wife, with Tom-Tom on her arm, next approached the couple. She bowed respectivly to them, but said nothing. Mai stayed behind, not wanting to greet them. Instead, she glared at Katara. Katara did not, or pretended not to, notice. She was admiring Tom-Tom, baby talking to him. Mai openly rolled her eyes.

"Well, we should get back to the house and I could show you your respective rooms. You're staying together, correct?" The governer questioned. Zuko nodded, and Katara blushed. The group made their way through the city and to the house in Omashu.

Katara was holding Tom-Tom and playing with him. When they reached the house, and were safely inside the gates, the Governer, his wife, and Zuko went inside. Katara stayed outside with Tom-Tom in the courtyard, playing with him. Mai, unnoticed by Katara, stayed outside too. Once the others were inside, Mai approached Katara.

"Katara." Mai stated. Katara jumped and looked up at her. She narrowed her eyes, but did not speak. Mai continued. "Just watch yourself." Was all she said before she turned and walked away.

Katara rolled her eyes and said to Tom-Tom, "Your sister is silly, isn't she?" Tom-Tom giggled and laughed, tugging on Kataras arms. Katara smirked to herself.

_This will be an interesting two weeks..._ She thought to herself.

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><p><strong>Sorry for the long wait! So much stuff came up in the last two weeks, it was cray. And the lemon was my first, no hate. Kinda awk writing it, but I pushed through it haha. REVIEW TIME<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you to everyone who has reviewed/favorited/alerted so far! I love the feedback (: This chapter's gonna be pretty fluffy, just a warning.**

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><p>Three days had passed since Katara and Zuko arrived in Omashu. So far, it's been meetings day in and day out. The first night, the Governer's family, minus Mai, treated the Fire Lord and his girlfriend to the finest resteraunt in Omashu. Katara had to note it was a very pleasant dinner, despite the fact that the Governer was just kissing up to Zuko.<p>

Over the days, Katara has taken up an interest in Tom-Tom. The four year old has also taken a liking to Katara, always wanting to be held and hugged by her. Of course, Katara didn't object and even took to babysitting him more often. She had little time with Zuko, and too much time to herself, so that is what she spent her time doing. She figured it was a good way to spend her time when she wasn't in the meetings and Zuko was. She thought of it as practice for when she was actually a mother, though she would never admit that.

Zuko had lost time of the days. He currently had been in a meeting since dawn, and the room they were confined in was completely enclosed. No windows. The only light in the room were the dim candles. So far the visit has been a success. They created a plan to help get the city's money back in order, and merchants and venders happy again. Zuko organized meetings and interviews with potential treasurer's with hope of finding one that wont betray the city.

Though everything was going in order, Zuko was stressed. Not as stressed as he thought he was going to be, but then again, it's only been a few days into the trip. It was arranged for two weeks, but it could be shorter; depending on if they solve the problem or not. Or, it could be longer, for the same reason.

During the meeting, all Zuko could think about was eating and sleeping. He half listened, half daydreamed. Which, in his eyes, are the worst thing a Fire Lord can do. He was supposed to pay attention, listen to everyones thoughts, but instead, he was listening to his own thoughts.

"Fire Lord Zuko?" A young man addressed the Fire Lord. Zuko was snapped from his thoughts and locked eyes with the man. Luckily, this is where he was half listening. He had been addressed if they should try and open up more jobs, let more stores open, and give them employees.

"I think it's a fine idea. A good way to get the economy back in order," Zuko stated, earning murmurs from the group. He inwardly sighed; he really didn't why he had to be here for this. He should have replaced Mai's father with someone more eager and with more experiance to run Omashu. But he can't now.

"Well!" The Governer started, standing up from his seat. "I believe this particular meeting has been going very well. I do believe it's time for a recess for lunch." Everyone murmured in agreement and Zuko let out a silent sigh of relief. He didn't know how much longer he could take this dull meeting.

He stood up, as did everyone else. When he walked by, they bowed. Zuko has gotten over the awkwardness of the bowing over the years, but he still felt it was a little stupid. Instead, he blatantly ignored them until he left the room. Then, he went searching for Katara. He assumed she would probably be in the courtyard with Tom-Tom. So, that's where he went first.

On the way there, he passed Mai in the hallway. She gave him a soft smile, and he, out of courtesy, returned one back. And she blushed. Zuko held back the urge to roll his eyes and continued on. When he walked outside, the air was nice and crisp. Much different than Fire Nation weather. He loved it, and knew that Katara loved the cold air as well. He made a mental note to take her back to the Southern Water Tribe for a suprise.

Sure enough he found Katara in the courtyard, with Tom-Tom. He wondered where the childs mother would be, but figured he's always with a nanny, and Katara was no different then another babysitter for the poor kid.

When he walked up to the duo, Katara was in the midst of rolling a ball back and forth between her and the small boy. Zuko smiled and greeted them. He walked over to the waterbender and bent down to give her a quick kiss. He lingered a little more than he intended, but that was because Katara put her hand on his neck. Zuko soon felt two little hands pushing on his broad chest.

He broke the kiss and looked down to see a scowling Tom-Tom. Zuko stood back up and Tom-Tom went to sit on Katara's lap.

"Mine." He declared, as he continued to glare at Zuko. Zuko raised his eyebrows as Katara giggled. "That's right, Tom-Tom! I'm all yours," she cooed as he kissed his puffy cheeks. Tom-Tom giggled and turned to put his arms around Katara's neck. She stood up and walked over to Zuko whilst balancing the baby on her hip.

"You have some competion, Fire Lord." She giggled. Tom-Tom rested his head on Katara's shoulder, still glaring at Zuko.

"With a baby," Zuko dully stated. Katara nodded and kissed Tom-Toms cheek again, which earned a stream of giggles from him.

"I'm not a baby!" cried Tom-Tom, pointing an accusitory finger at the Fire Lord. "That's right, Tom-Tom. You're a big boy, not a baby!" Katara agreed. Tom-Tom nodded, but yawned. Katara stroked his back and announced it was time for his nap. The boy nodded, but shot Zuko the evil eye as Katara departed.

When they left, Zuko was stood alone in the open courtyard. He was smirking, imagining how motherly Katara was toward the boy. He imagined him and Katara's children, their family. He thought maybe he could bring up engagement; he felt it was a good enough time. He sat on one of the stone benches, and smirked to himself again. He knew Katara was the one for him, and from Uncle's not-so-subtle hints, Katara felt Zuko was the one for her. He would bring up marriage, but then propose in more of a romantic way. He thought proposing in his ex-girlfriends coutyard wouldn't be so romantic.

When she came back, she sat down next to Zuko and put her head on his shoulder. He smiled at her and snaked his arm around her tiny waist. She took the fabric of his robe between her fingers and was rubbing it, staring off into space. Zuko looked down and saw her biting her lip. He felt like she wanted to say something to him, but she wasn't going to. He let her think for a few more minutes, but when she still was silent, he broke the silence.

"Kitten? Do you think you'd ever want to..." Zuko swallowed, not liking the way that was sounding. Katara sat up and looked at him with questioning, cerulon eyes. "What?" She asked. Zuko let out a breath and tried again.

"I mean, do you ever think of us getting...married?" He asked. He looked up at her and saw the tiniest hint of a smirk on her plump lips. He looked at her lips and then her eyes, which literally looked like they were sparkling.

"Do you?" She asked, and once she did she broke out into a full smile. Zuko smirked back. "Well, yeah. A lot, actually." Katara bit her lip and looked away. Zuko linked his fingers within hers and looked about the courtyard. He felt that was all he needed to be confidant that she did, in fact, want to marry him.

Katara sighed and leaned against his shoulder. Maybe he was ready to get married, at least so she thought.

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><p>Mai sat in her dim bedroom, curtains drawn, candles lit. She stared at herself in her vanity. Her hair was now a wavy mess, flowing past her shoulders. Her makeup was gone from the amount of crying she had just suffered through. She still sat with perfect posture, being trained to do so since she could walk.<p>

_Why would Zuko pick_her _over me?_ She thought sullenly to herself. She knew she was much prettier than the waterbender, more skilled in fighting and hand-to-hand combat, and looked ready to take the throne. She was the perfect Fire Nation woman; a true Fire Lady. So why would Zuko pick the unskilled waterbender over her? She scowled at herself, forming lines between her eyebrows and around her mouth.

"No, no, Mai," She mumbled to herself in a voice she imitated as her mothers, "Frowning causes wrinkles. You can't have that in a Fire Lady." She rolled her eyes. Sometimes, she felt as if her parents only had her so she could become Fire Lady or something almost equaling such a social status. It was incredible. She brushed through her dark hair, resisting the frown that was growing on her face. She clenched the brush in her hand. She let the frown come to her face, glaring at her own reflection.

_Failure._She said to herself. Over and over and over again, she called herself that word. She knew thats what her parents thought of her. She was going to amount to nothing, and she knew that.

She raised her arm and was about to throw the brush when there was a slight knock on her door. It felt like all the blood in her body froze, and she gently placed the brush back onto her onyx locks and coaxed the knocker to come in. She continued to brush through her hair in a peaceful manner, as if nothing horrid was every going through her mind.

Her mother walked in, wearing a stonecold expression. She walked over to Mai's bed and sat down, looking at her daughters reflection.

"How is it going with Fire Lord Zuko?" Her mother questioned. Mai almost outright laughed at the fact that her own mother couldn't even see how distressed she was. That her own mother would continue to talk about her advances on the Fire Lord, instead of asksing why her makeup was gone and her face swollen and wet. Instead, she turned around and gave her a fake smile. "Good." Her mother nodded and told her to come down for dinner soon. Mai made sure her mother closed the door fully behind her, and then she picked up the brush and chucked it right at the mirror, watching it crack and break into thousands of small pieces. She almost felt the irony of that mirror resembling her future, and current, life.

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><p><strong>Short chapter, I know. I wanted to get it out! A lot came up the past month, but yeah. You kind of get to see Mai's take on things, and how it's been going in Omashu. Next chapter will be longer, promise. Going to upload some Naruto &amp; Avatar one-shots (:<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**Read&Review please! I love the feedback! Oh! And I watched the first episode of Korra lastnight :) Needless to say, I'm super pumped. I'm excited to meet new characters, find out what happened to Zuko's mother, who Toph fucked, when Mako & Korra will hook up...ALL THAT GOOD STUFF. Yes, I already ship Mako and Korra. WOO. Okay okay onto the next chapter.**

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><p>Zuko stumbled into the guest bedroom late at night. That marked the first full week he and Katara had been in Omashu, assisting the Governer with the money issue. And more. Zuko felt he was being used by the Governer; having to solve other problems than the one he was assigned to do. Funny, how he was the higher power and felt that he was the one being manipulated. He has gotten too nice over the years, he figured.<p>

He lit two candles on opposite sides of the room, which revealed a slumbering waterbender snuggled into the bed. Zuko quietly began taking off his armor, but he heard a rustling in the bed. He looked over and saw Katara sitting up, rubbed her eye and looked over at him.

"What time is it?" She mumbled. Zuko shook his head in disapproval. "Late. It's very late," he said. Katara sighed and lay back on the bed, her arms sprawled everyplace. Zuko took down his topknot and made his way over to the bed. Katara opened her arms and he crawled in. His head on her chest, and her arms around his neck, they settled in.

"You know," Zuko started. "I always feel like a child when you insist on laying like this." Katara shushed him and stroked his hair. He chuckled and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer. They sat there in a while, basking in the dim light of the candles. That's when Zuko realised, right then and there, that Katara was deffinantly the one for him. The fact that she was willing to be awake with him at such late hours of the night, or early hours of the morning, was an indication that she was devoted to him and his country. He decided he would propse to her sooner than later, but he didn't know when. He had already proposed the proposal, and she had a very positive reaction to it. No, he knew she was the one.

Katara's soft voice broke his thoughts. "How did the meeting go?" She asked.

Zuko chuckled. "You mean meetings?" He sighed. "They were fine, I suppose. Honestly, I feel like I'm doing the Governer's job. We have only reguarded the money issue, and he expects me to fix all of Omashu's problems. It's incrediably annoying."

"Then put your foot down. I mean, you're the Fire Lord. You can do that." Katara pointed out. Zuko sighed and brushed it off. He didn't want to discuss work or the Fire Nation, and Katara could sense that. Instead, she had an idea.

She sat up, and as did Zuko. "Let's go to Ember Island!" She exclaimed as she clasped her hands together. "It can be a vacation! You really need it, Zuko." He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. Katara pouted, but Zuko spoke before she could open her mouth.

"I'm the Fire Lord, Katara. It's going to be hard to get a few days off..." He trailed off when Katara waved her hand, as if brushing his words away. "You can do what you want, Zuko. Yes, you are the Fire Lord. And even big ol' Fire Lords need days off!"

She plopped back onto the pillows, and Zuko crawled up next to her. "Fine, maybe. I'll see." Katara squealed and turned to him. "Can we see if Sokka and Suki can come? And maybe even Aang and Toph? It can be just like old times! And we can see those horrible Ember Island Players for fun." Katara had a look in her eyes that Zuko couldn't say no to. Instead he just smiled and nodded his head. She grabbed the sides of his face and quickly pecked his lips before laying back down, her back to him.

Zuko inwardly sighed and rubbed the back of his neck before laying down with her. Once she gets her mind set on something, there's no turning back. And he knew that all too well.

"I love you, Kitten," He whipsered to her. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer, hoping to catch sleep soon.

And sleep he did catch, but he also found himself deep in a very odd dream. It wasn't classified as a nightmare, but it weirded him out to an extent where it possible could be some sort of nightmare.

_He was roaming the palace in broad daylight, yet he was still in his sleepwear. He made it to the palace gardens, where a petite figure was sat at the pond, feeing turtle ducks. Zuko walked up to the figure, and put his hand on the shoulder. When the figure turned around, he saw the bright and smiling face of his own mother. "Come now, Zuzu. Sit down and feed the turtle ducks with me." Zuko obliged, and took a piece of bread from his mother._

_And they sat there, just lke old times. He felt like a little kid again; which was bittersweet. But then, the setting changed. And they were at the Agni Kai with Azula. This time, Katara and his mother were standing on the battle field behind him._

_"You always loved him more, you wench!" Azula screamed and the words echoed in Zuko's head. Azula did a series of moves, which Zuko realised where the lightening stances. He started to get ready to redirect it, assuming she was going to direct it at him. It was against the rules of the Agni Kai to bring other people into it, but when she did, Zuko wasn't quick enough. It hit his mother, and Katara was already on her knees trying to heal her. Everything got red, then. It was fast paced and choppy, he really didn't know what was going on. _

_Then, it was dark again. Zuko was alone, with blackness surrounding him. When the blackness lifted, all he saw was in mother, battered, bloody, and broken. He panicked, and raced toward her. But she seemed to be getting farther away._

_"Zuko..." A whimpering voice came to him, resembling his mothers. It kept calling his name. He pumped his arms and legs faster, but was getting nowhere._

"Zuko!"

He shot upright in bed, beads of sweat dripping from his face. He looked around the dark room, and saw Katara sitting up next to him. She had a worried and panicked look on her face. He steadied his breathing, and ran a hand through his dark hair slicked with sweat.

Katara was rubbing circles on her back, whispering calming words to him. "Do you wanna tell me what your dream was about?" She asked. Zuko laid back down and ran his hands over his face.

"It was...about my mother," he began, but he felt like he couldn't continue. The terror he felt was real, and the pain of his missing mother was even a harder hit on him. Katara pushed his bangs off of his face. "You don't have to tell me, I understand." She smiled. He gave her a smile back and she kissed his forehead. She laid in his arms, her head on his chest and his arms around her.

They sat there; Katara listened to his heartbeat slow down into his normal, irregular one. She traced the lines on his stomach, and then the scar. Zuko couldn't tell what she was thinking, but didn't know what about. She was going to say something, so Zuko patiently waited.

"Do you have nightmares frequently?" She asked randomly as she propped herself up on her elbows. Zuko nodded his head, and Katara looked away. "And you don't get a lot of sleep..." She continued, and Zuko again nodded his head, not sure on where she was going.

She let out a breath. "Are you sure you're not depressed?" She tried. Zuko looked away, unsure of that answer. He truly wasn't sure; he displayed all of the signs of one that was depressed, but he refued to be labeled as so.

"I'm just stressed," he murmured. Katara shook her head. "No, baby I think you're depressed! And that's okay, I can get some herbs for you; to help." The look in her eyes were hopefuly. Zuko didn't want to be on herbs, he didnt want to be labeled... At this point he just wanted to sleep. He shook his head and laid on his side, his back to her. Katara, taking that as the end of their conversation, laid down as well. She was on her back, and looked at the ceiling.

If only Zuko was more open to being helped, Katara would feel much better. He grew up in a hard way, mostly surviving off of his mother. When she left, he was basically alone. Even Iroh couldn't help him, even as much as he did. But now, Zuko had Katara. He doesn't know how to feel about someone trying to help him carry off his own burdon. That's what Katara's conclusion was; that he didn't want her to hold his burdon and feelings. Katara's new goal was to make him open up more, and realise that she was there for him. People left him in the dust throughout his life, but not Katara. He needs to learn that she's going to take care of him, whether he likes it or not.

She sighed, suddenly growing tired and stressed. She turned on her side, her back facing Zuko. She curled up into a ball and shut her eyes, thinking of ways to help her over-stressed, over-independant boyfriend.

Zuko heard her sigh, and felt the tension in the air grow thick. He knew she was worried about him, and he felt like an ass for pushing her away. Now wasn't the time to deal with that, Zuko concluded. Instead, he turned over and wrapped his arm around her and pulled her against his chest. He kissed her shoulder and she snuggled in more, wrapping herself in his body heat. No words were spoken, but already the air got lighter and happier.

They fell into another deep sleep, and Zuko was not plauged by nightmares for the rest of that night.

* * *

><p>Zuko was making his way to the front of the home. He and the Governer were to have a 'casual' lunch at one of the Governer's favorite resteraunts. Zuko felt it was the perfect time to tell himthat he and Katara were going to be leaving, and that he needed to sort everything else out on his own. He was kept his fingers crossed in hopes that the Governer will not bring up Mai.<p>

When he got there, the man was already in a carriage. Zuko lifted himself in and sat across from him. They exchanged good afternoons, but was silent. Zuko sincerely hoped he wasn't trying to think of a way to bring Mai up.

"So, Fire Lord," the Governer started with a grin. "Everything good back at the palace?"

Zuko nodded his head, keeping his stoic face. "Everything's going very well. The Fire Nation has been improved since my father's reign, and the capitol itself has been made more safe." The Governer nodded his head in understandment, keeping that grin on his face.

"And the Lady Katara?" He asked, his eyes turning more serious but the grin still plastered onto his smug face. Zuko resisted rolling his eyes, knowing that this was what he had wanted to talk about all along.

"She's great, thanks for asking," Zuko tried his best not to grumble. The Governer again nodded his head. "Any plans of getting married?" Zuko looked out the window, clenching his jaw. He really didn't want to talk about he and Katara's relationship with his ex-girlfriends father, but he felt like he didn't have a choice.

"Yes," He started harshly, but eased up his tone once he realised he still had to dine with this man. "I do plan on proposing to her, sooner or later. Right now, I think the Fire Nation needs me more, though."

"Well," The Governer clasped his hands. "I'm glad to see you two are doing so well! You make a very lovely couple, and from the meetings, I can tell that Lady Katara will be a very strong Fire Lady." Zuko nodded, casting his eyes back at the Governer.

The Governer gave him a cheeky smile, and turned his own gaze to outside the window. His lips tightened into a thin line, and he said, "We're going to have to travel through the more... unfortunate part of the town." He gave a sad smile towards Zuko. Zuko, on the other hand, smothered the feeling of glaring at the man. He was just trying to make Zuko solve his problems, which was completely insane.

Instead, Zuko disreguarded what he said and continued to stare out the window. He had to admit, it was pretty bad. But he's seen worse. He so wanted to confront the Governer at that moment, but he left that for later. Now, he needed to get through the lunch and then tell him the plan. All in good time, he decided.

They had finally gotten out of the bad part of town and reached the destination. It was a fancy resteraunt, and they had entered a backway, which led into a decked-out dining room. The curtains were partially letting in light, and the overhead chandalier was lit up. Zuko was led to a table set for two, where he and the Governer sat down. The guards had left the room for their privacy, and stationed themselves outside the door. The Governer cleared his throat, which automatically caused Zuko to look up from his menu.

"Fire Lord Zuko," he started casually, "I would like to address the situation with you and my daughter." He leaned back and clasped his hands in his lap, eyeing the Fire Lord. Zuko straightened himself. "What would you like to know?" Zuko asked, growling slightly irritated.

The Governer cleared his throat and leaned in. "What did she do that made you end things with her? If I do say so myself, she was very much born to be a Fire Lady-" Zuko cut the Governer off by raising a hand. When he looked up, he was scowling.

"Looks and actions are what make a Fire Lady, but I need a Fire Lady and a wife. She was not what I desired in a wife." He firmly stated. He saw the Governers jaw clenched. Zuko glared. "If you made me come to Omashu just for this, then be sure I will find another suitor for your job," He growled.

The Governer quickly attempted to save himself. "No, no! Not at all. I really needed your help with the problem of Omashu. This was just something I had been wondering. I know Mai still has feelings for you."

"I don't care that she still has feelings for me. We're over. I have a duty for my nation, and I need someone who is a good leader and a good wife. Mai was not. Does that answer your question?" He growled through his teeth. The Governer nodded his head and Zuko continued to read through the menu. The tension in the air was thick, and Zuko cleared his throat, ready to announce his departure.

"Katara and I will be leaving either tonight or tomorrow morning. I feel that I've done enough here in Omashu, and you should be ready to take over."

"But, we havn't even gotten to the money problems!" The Governer protested. Zuko eyed him again. "Yes, which was the only reason I was here. You took advantage of me. I do not appreciate that." The Governer couldn't even make eye contact. _Pathetic_, Zuko snarled in his mind.

"I don't appreciate that you won't help out the Earth Kingdom." The Governer muttered. In one swift movement, Zuko was stood up and halfway out of the room before turning around and snarling, "Remember, I can replace you in a heartbeat. If you desire to keep your job, let me be." And with that, he was gone. Zuko felt a ton of weight lift off of his shoulders. He only hoped that the Governer really wasn't as stupid as he was protraying himself to be, and that Omashu will stay in one piece.

Zuko made his way back to the home, seeking out Katara. He told one the servants to get someone to ready the ship, and tell them that they were going home. The servant quickly obliged and scurried off. He continued to seek out Katara, hoping she was in the bedroom. She was not, and he checked the kitchen. Nowhere to be seen. He checked the living halls, the dining room, and even the library. He figured she was out in the courtyard with Tom-Tom again. He immediantly set that as his destination, breezing through the halls as if he'd been living there his entire life. He rounded the corner and found the courtyard. There was a single archway leading into the magnificant gardens. He peered in, finding Katara. She was sitting in the middle of the grass, eyes covered, and mumbling to herself.

Before Zuko could enter and see what she was doing, she shouted, "Seven, eight, nine, ten! Ready or not, here I come!" She got up and started searching the area, looking behind trees and bushes. Zuko half-grinned to himself, figuring out that she was undoubtly playing a game with Tom-Tom. He slowly leaned against the archway, not wanting Katara to sense him. She continued looking for the young boy, searching in every corner.

With her back turned, Zuko saw Tom-Tom scurry from under a bench. Katara turned around and spotted him. "Hey! You can't change your hiding spot!" She called to him. She raced over and picked the giggling boy up into her arms, tickling him. The image of Zuko and Katara having children popped into his head. She would make a great mother. Fun and light-spirited, but also disciplinary and tough-loving.

Out of the corner of her eye, Katara saw Zuko leaning against the arch. She caught his eye and smiled at him, beckoning him to go to her. He pushed himself from the arch and made his way over, earning a glare from Tom-Tom.

"Katara," he said, grabbing her attention. He looked into her ocean blue eyes, notcing the way they sparkled when she was around the small boy. He couldn't bare to tear her away from him, but they needed to leave. "We're leaving tonight, Kitten. I think it's best if you pack." Zuko said softly, watching her eyes grow dim.

She placed the baby on the ground, who immediantly grabbed onto her leg. "Oh, yeah. Sure, I'll get on that." She smiled. Tom-Tom started to sniffle, grabbing the two young adults' attention.

"Are you leaving?" He whispered. Katara sighed and picked him up. "Yeah, buddy. The Fire Lord and I have to go home now." She said as she pushed hair off of the boys face. His lip quivered and tears gathered at his eyes.

Zuko saw the pained expression on Katara's face once she saw those tears. "Tom-Tom, it's okay! I'm sure I'll be back soon." She tried to comfort him, but Zuko knew that they were never coming back. Tom-Tom slowly nodded, grabbing onto her neck and placing his head in the crook of her shoulder. Katara hugged him, and started walking back to the home where she claimed she would put him down for a nap.

Zuko made his own way back to the room and began to organize his things. After being in there for ten minutes or so, there was a slight knock on the door. Zuko, assuming it was Katara, was confused at why she would knock. He went over and opened the door, expecting to see his blue-eyed, brown-haired waterbender. Instead, he saw a gold-eyed, black-haired ex-girlfriend.

"Uh..." Zuko was at a loss for words, considaring he was not expecting her to be at his _and Katara's_ room.

"Can I come in?" She asked quietly. Zuko thought about it, and was curious as to what she had to say. He stepped aside, granting her entrance. She quickly walked in and he shut she door. She stood facing her, holding her arms, looking at the ground.

Zuko grew tired of the silence and decided to break it. "What are you doing here?" He asked, breaking his normally stoic attitude with a confused, antsy one. She sighed and sat down on the bed.

"I just..." She began, but grew insecure at the words she wanted to say. Zuko refrained himself from tapping his foot. He wanted to get going, and Mai was holding him back. She saw his glare, and swallowed hard. "I just wanted to know what happened between us," she whispered. She got up and made her way over to him, standing only a few feet away.

"Nothing 'happened', Mai. It didn't work out. That's it." Zuko stated calmly. Mai sighed and looked away. She crossed her arms and looked Zuko into his golden eyes, hers filled with determination.

"That doesn't mean we can try again. I still love you," She whispered, as she reached out to touch him. Zuko shied away from her and stook a step back. His glare was firey as ever. "Please, we can just try again?" she offered.

"Mai. This is unreasonable," He dismissed with a wave of his hand. Mai shook her head profusely. "No, it's not! We were made for each other!" she tried. Zuko quickly grew tired of this, and was determined for her to move along.

"Zuko, please, listen to me," She begged. She was actually _begging_ him to take her back. "Ever since we ended things, my parents can't even look at me. They think I'm a failure, and that it was my fault we broke up. My mother tried her best to groom me to become the next Fire Lady, ever since I became friends with Azula and told her I had a crush on you when I was seven or eight. It's been awful," She nearly cried.

Zuko felt a pang of sadness in his heart. He never knew Mai's parents to be so..._cold_. "Look, Mai, we can't get back together for a number of reasons. I'm sorry. You need to move on, find another guy that will make you happy. Your parent's don't have the right to choose who you have to marry." Zuko tried comforting her, but it didn't seem to work.

"But I still love you!" She nearly yelled. Zuko sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. He looked away from her, trying to think of ways to help her. He still cared for her, as a friend though. He wanted her to get over him.

"Mai, I'm sorry. It can't work." He turned and went to the door to open it, but stopped when Mai started yelling. "It's all because of Katara, isn't it? There's nothing wrong with me, you just liked her more!" Zuko turned around and glared at her. Yes, that was true. But she shouldn't care, because their relationship is over.

"That doesn't matter. What matters is that we're over, and you need to move on!" Mai stomped her foot, near tears. "Fine! Go be happy with her, see if i care!" She stalked to the door, and Zuko opened it for her and she nearly ran out. Katara, coming down the hallway, saw this. Mai saw her coming towards the room, and immediantly felt her blood boil.

"You," she yelled, "You're the problem here! It's all you!" And on that last word, she pulled out her weapon and threw it at Katara. There was enough distance between them that Katara quickly saw it coming and dodged it.

She opened her waterskin and extracted the icy water and froze it, sending an ice dagger at the weapons master. Mai threw a shuriken at the dagger, and had another one shadow the first, coming out from behind aimed at Katara.

Seeing this, Katara created a water whip and aimed it at Mai. The two attacks were stopped short when a blast of fire dissapated the water and threw the shurkien off course. The two masters drew their attention to the very angry Fire Lord, hands clenched as well as his jaw.

"Mai," he growled. "Leave. Now."

Mai quickly regained her composure, and left the vicinity. Of course, she made sure that she sent her most venomous stare at Katara before rounding the cornor and disppearing.

Zuko quickly gathered Katara in his arms, checking her for injuries. Katara pushing him away, scowling. "Of course I'm alright. You really think that bitch could hurt me?" She nearly yelled. "I think the real question is why was she coming out of our room?" She crossed her arms and glared at her Fire Lord. He nearly cowered under her stare, but did his best to not do so, for that would look suspicious.

"She was trying to convince me to come back to her..." He trailed off, not sure what else to say. Katara snorted and rolled her eyes. "That's sad and pathetic." Zuko agreed with her, taking her hand and leading them to the room for them to continue packing.

Katara concluded that maybe it was a good time to leave Omashu.

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><p><strong>Okay wow that took way longer then I wanted it to. Been too busy fangirling over Legend of Korra. I'm so pumped! Please R&amp;R. Watching an ATLA marathon on netflix now, gonna be in an avatar mood this sunday. Once I upload this I'm going to start chapter six :)<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks for the support with the story so far! I love all of the reviews x**

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><p>By the mid-afternoon, it had began to rain. The sky darkened, and let out tiny raindrops that pelted the ground. Zuko and Katara were in an ostrich horse drawn carriage, making their way to the docks. They watched the city go by; vendors closing up their stands because of rain, store owners covering their merchandise that was displayed outside, and small cafe's taking down umbrellas so they won't blow away.<p>

Watching the city go by, Katara had to admit to herself that she loved Omashu. She loved how busy it was, and how the buildings were all the same, yet had little differences to them. She loved how the weather was always perfect, and it looked beautiful even in a downpour. She knows she'll miss it, but she also knows they need to get out of there, or Zuko would probably have a mental breakdown.

At the thought of Zuko, she began thinking about his actual mental state. She knew he was stressed and hurting, and really only wanted to find his mother; to save her. She wanted to help, but he wouldn't let her into his thoughts. He began drinking again, as Iroh had told her before they left. He was short of becomming maniacal; he lived within the caves and terrors of his own mind. He needed help to get out, but didn't want it. Katara inwardly sighed, wanting to help her love. But she was realistic, and knew that she could not help him if he did not seek her out for such help

Katara herself grew sad, and felt her eyebrows knit together and a frown appear on her face. She felt a hand place itself on top of her's, and looked away from the scenery to find Zuko peering down at her with a frown sketched onto his own face.

"Are you okay, Kitten?" he asked her quietly. She immediantly plastered a smile onto her face, hiding her emotions. "I'm just going to miss the city, that's all," she lied. She had to lie, for she knew Zuko would be angry with her for worrying about him. She felt it was best to just not go into that argument, and spit out a white lie.

"We'll come back soon, I promise," he asserted. He bent down and gave her a quick peck on the lips. Katara followed his retreat from the kiss for a second, wanting him to linger. But he didn't, and turned his own gaze back to the city. She slid over on the seat so she was directly next to him. She laid her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. He kissed the top of her head, and wrapped an arm around her small body, bringing her closer.

Zuko was upset. He knew she lied; he could tell she was thinking about him. Rather, worrying about him. She always had this look on her face when she did, and became eerily quiet. He saw the inward sighs she gave out, and her rosy lips forming into a frown. He felt it was best if he didn't call her out on it. Instead, they sat in the carriage in silence. Zuko's thoughts wandered to their departure at the Governer's home.

_The Fire Lord and the Master Waterbender made their way out to the front of the house, where the small, political family was standing. Tom-Tom was in his mothers arms, frowning. His mother was smiling warmly, and the Governer himself forcing a smile. Katara happily took note that Mai was not there, and felt herself smile in triumph._

_They couple walked over to the family to say their goodbyes. Katara began with hugging the wife, and kissing the baby on his cheeck. Zuko shook hands with the Governer and thanked him for letting them stay there, albeit coldly. The Governer obviously had forced a smile and wished them a good travel home. Zuko also fake smiled at him and thanked him. The two women exchanged looks at each other, wondering what had transpired._

_"Katara," his wife started, "I wanted to thank you for watchign Tom-Tom. He rather liked you."_

_Katara smiled and thanked her for letting her stay with him. The group departed, but in the last second, Zuko said Mai standing the doorway, very far away from everyone else. He didn't know for sure, but he had thought she was crying._

_And that, in a sense, made him feel guilty._

_Zuko sighed outloud. He felt bad that he was the one inflicting this pain on Mai. He felt Katara lean into him more before she spoke. "What's wrong?"_

_Zuko again sighed, admitting to himself that he could, and should, tell Katara this. "It's about Mai..." he began but stopped when he saw the expression on her face turn sour. He chuckled._

_"Not like that... She's just depressed, and I can't help but feel that it's all my fault," he confessed._

_"Well, that's because it is."_

_"Oh, thanks."_

_Katara rolled her eyes. "You know it is, but it's really her own fault for still caring, you know?" Zuko sighed, knowing she was right. He looked out the window, his gaze shifting along with the objects they passed by._

_"She told me that... Her parents, they can't even look at her anymore," he trailed off._

_"Why? Because she's not Fire Lady?" She questioned. Zuko nodded his head shamefully. Katara exhaled, realising why Mai wants Zuko back now. "There's nothing we can do, Zuzu. I feel bad, but..." She trailed off, unsure of what else to say. Zuko planted a kiss on the top of her head, signaling he was done talking about it. She laid her head back down on his shoulder, and they continued their silent journey to the docks._

_Once they finally got there, the rain had let up a bit, letting the sun peak through. Katara quickly escaped onto the ship, whereas Zuko was bombarded by personal servants that he had specifically brought along for the trip. Once the ship was loaded, the Fire Lord set off back home._

_Zuko found Katara standing at the bow of the boat, leaning on the railing. She was looking out towards the land, her mind someplace else. He quietly sneaked over to her and snaked his arms around her waist, pulling her into him. She let out a content sigh and leaned in furthur, enveloping herself in him._

_"What's on your mind?" he murmured into her ear. She sighed and stroked his hand absent mindedly. "I'm just thinking about the...future." She lingered on the last word, and trailed off a little. Zuko's breath staggered for a second but went back to normal. He smiled into her hair._

_"And what about our future?" he asked, putting a small emphasis on the word 'our', Katara happily noted. She stood up straighter and leaned against him._

_"I want kids," she stated._

_"Well, I need an heir. Looks like you're in luck," he teased. "You're really good with kids, Katara. Tom-Tom adored you."_

_Katara giggled and sighed. "Probably because I'm the most fun he's had in a while. Everyone there is so... stiff. Even the mother."_

_"Oh, Katara, don't be so humble!" Zuko joked. _

_Katara giggled, and turned herself in his arms and placed one arm around his neck, and the other caressing his scarred cheek. She was grinning stupidly. "So you really want to get married?" She blurted excitedly. Zuko nodded his head and pecked her nose. Soon, he noticed her expression turned sour. He knit his eyebrows together in confusion._

_"What?"_

_She sighed. "It's just that... Won't your advisors and stuff not like the fact that I'm not, you know," she airquoted, "Fire Nation nobility?" Zuko smirked and kissed her jaw._

_"I don't know, nor do I care," he smirked. "We've been together for a long time, I'm sure they have come to terms with that by now. There's really nothing standing in our way," he mused about that for a second, until Katara added, "Except my father."_

_"What." he stated dumbly. Katara giggled and pushed the stray strands of hair from his face. "You're going to have to get his word on it, silly." Zuko stiffened, unsure of how Hakoda felt about him. They had only met once or twice during the war, but that was it._

_Katara noted the panic on his face and held back another giggle. "Don't worry about that. I'm sure he likes you," She kissed him before detatching herself from him. "I'm going to shower," she said, until smirking devilishly. "Care to join me?" She held out a hand. Zuko grinned, grabbing her hand and pulling her under the deck. His worrying will have to wait._

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><p><em>Before the couple knew it, they were back at the Fire Nation. Upon entering the palace for the first time in over a week, they both found themselves enveloped in one of Iroh's bear hugs.<em>

_"Uncle! I thought you were going back to Ba Sing Se," Zuko exclaimed. Iroh released them and shook his head. "I decided to wait until you two got back. Who knows how long it would be until I saw you again?" He chuckled. "You two are back so soon, though."_

_"All I can say is, that the Governer is an idiot," Zuko mumbled. Iroh laughed and patted his nephew on the back. "We already knew this!" He joked. Katara giggled behind her hand, before politly excusing herself to unpack her things. Before she could go, Zuko stopped her by lightly grabbing her elbow._

_"Actually, Katara, I don't think you should unpack so soon," he inquired. Katara tilted her head in confusion, knitting her eyebrows together, Zuko smiled and said, "I decided that we should go on a trip to the South Pole."_

_Kataras eyes lit up, and she immediantly lept up onto Zuko. She wound her arms around his neck and her hands entangled in his hair, as he supported her weight, lifing her off the ground. "Have I ever told you that you're the best Fire Lord boyfriend ever?" She mumbled against his shoulder. Zuko chuckled and held her tigther, content with her reaction._

_Iroh stood off to the side, watching. When Zuko made eye contact with him, Iroh wiggled his eyebrows in a heady manner. Which only made the Fire Lord glare. Katara released him, but kept her hands planted on each side of his face. "When do we leave?" She asked excitedly. _

_"As soon as you'd like, love," Zuko told her. Katara became giddy at the thought of seeing her whole family again, and to be back in the nice, cold weather._

_"So," she dragged out the word in an innocent manner, "we could leave, maybe, tomorrow?" Zuko nodded and Katara squealed, about to pounce on him again when Iroh cleared his throat. The couple turned their attention to the near silent man, and tension grew thick._

_"Uncle...?" Zuko questioned. Iroh shifted uncomfortably._

_"I'm afraid I need to break you two up for the time being, actually. There's been new information that came in just this morning that you should attend to immediantly," He frowned. "I'm sorry to have ruined this moment."_

_Zuko and Katara shook their heads profusely. "Iroh, please. You didn't ruin it! As long as we're going, and soon, I'm still estatic," Katara said sincerely. Iroh nodded and smiled, and turned to Zuko._

_"I'll need you to be in your office with a few others in a short time," Iroh concluded and left the couple by themselves. Katara was still grinning wildly to herself._

_"Do you know what he's talking about?" Katara asked._

_"No, but it seems... Important."_

_Katara sighed and threw her arms around his neck. "If you need me, I'll be in my room. Sleeping, hopefully." She smiled at him and quickly pecked him on the lips. Zuko watched her walk into the palace and quickly disappear. He ran a hand over his face, not willing to go into his own office._

_He eventually made it there, and when he entered, there were three men in the room. Iroh, General Xung, and a man he was not familiar with. They had bowed respectivly, and Zuko nodded his head in recognition. He took his seat behind the desk, while Iroh stood in the corner and the two men sat in the chairs stationed infront of the desk. Iroh spoke up first._

_"Here, Nephew, you must read this first," Iroh advised, while handing a scroll to him. Zuko unraveled the scroll and began reading:_

_Fire Lord Zuko,_

_I go by Osamu, for I need an alias. I have been one of Ozai's loyal subjects as of late, for I no longer wish to follow under his rules. I have information on your mothers whereabouts, and before I digress, she is very healthy and safe._

_I myself have been keeping tabs on her for Ozai, but my brother. I would like to arrange a meeting with you in the near future to discuss this, for writing all the details to you would be excruciating, and I'm sure you're curious as to what has happened with her, and how you can rescue her. My messenger can spare some of the details for you, and if you would message me back an answer, send it with him. He's the only thing I can trust delivering this mail._

_Best wishes,_

_Osamu_

_Zukos heartrate went up. He could feel the blood racing through his veins a thousand miles a minute. He could finally find out where his mother his. But he still had his suspcions, and did not want to get his hopes up. Not yet._

_"Messenger boy," Zuko addressed the young man sitting infront of him. "What is your name?"_

_"My name is Akiro," the boy answered._

_"Okay, Akiro. Could you tell me about your master?" Zuko asked. The boy nodded._

_"He used to follow Ozai, and was still one of his follwers even though you started your reign as Fire Lord. Osamu just recently realised that Ozai was going to have him go out on a mission against you, and then be killed-"_

_"Whoa, wait," Zuko held up a hand. "How is Ozai making moves while he's still locked up?" The men in the room shook their heads. Zuko noted to put Ozai in a more high security part, and change his guards. "Continue."_

_"Right," Akiro started, "So Osamu decided that he had enough of Ozai and rebelled, secretly, though. He went off into an Earth Kingdom village, and thats where we met." He trailed off, unsure of what else to say._

_"Why does he want me to find my mother?" Zuko inquired suspiciously, unsure of how she fit in with that story._

_"Oh!" Akiro exclaimed. "Well, he had once been in charge of Lady Ursa's banishment. He grew fond of her, though he never admitted it. Mostly for the fear of Ozai ringing his neck. He believes she deserves to be back with you."_

_Zuko leaned back in his chair, unsure if this was true. Instead, he took out a scroll and started scribbling frantically on it. He rolled it up and sealed it before handing it to the messenger._

_"Make sure this gets to your master, and quickly." Akiro nodded, and stood up to leave. Zuko called him back. "Thank you," Zuko stated sincerely. Akiro smiled and nodded his head, and was soon off._

_This left the former General, current General, and a Fire Lord in the room, pondering what had just happened. Iroh was stroking his beard, while Zuko was rubbing his temples._

_"I think thats enough... excitement for today," General Xung announced. Zuko agreed and left the office, seeking out his waterbender._

_He found her exactly where she said she would be; asleep. He went up behind her and climbed in, enveloping himself in her scent. She wasn't completely asleep, and Zuko knew that, but she was exhausted. And so was he. He draped his strong arm around her tiny waist and pulled her close. She snuggled in against his chest and laid her arm on his extended arm, while interlacing her fingers with his._

_Before Zuko fell asleep, the only thing he could think about was his mother. And how he hoped that she would be there for their wedding._

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><p><em><strong>I'm not sure what the hell to call this chapter...Fluff? Dramatic? Boring? Please review, tell me what I need to do, what I need to stop doing, etc, etc. Things are going to start picking up, and the chapters will start getting longer, baholla.<strong>_


	7. Chapter 7

**Watching the ATLA marathon is spirit of LoK, a stupid fucking bubble came up "Zuko was orginially supposed to be the love interest for Katara"**

**I literally want to kill myself. That is so unfair, why would they ever put that in there omfg I want to punch somethING WHY WHY WHY WHY OH MY GOD I HATE THE WORLD FUCK ZUKO AND KATARA WERE SUPPOSED TO BE TOGETHER GOT FUCKIGN DAMMIT.**

**It's okay. Whatever. Mako & Korra will make up for it.. Unless Bryke decides to fuck us over with that, too. Then they would have successfully destroyed my childhood with no Zutara & teenage years with no Makkorra. The life of a teenage fangirl, dear god.**

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><p>The next morning found Zuko meditating out in the garden. The sun had barely began its ascent into the dark blue sky. Zuko had not found a peaceful sleep the previous night. He was plagued with nightmares. Instead, he attempted to find peace in his mothers garden. He slowly inhaled and exhaled, clearing his mind. Rather, an attempt to clear his mind. His posture was straight and guarded, yet all of his muscles were relaxed. He was positive he still had bedhead, and he was in his pajamas. It would be a near-disgrace for anyone else to see him like this. He really didn't care for that, though.<p>

He barely heard the light footsteps enter the garden. But when the footsteps voiced themselves behind him, he did not jump. He did not even move, but his attention was toward the speaker.

"Zuko, why are you up so early?" the raspy voice said behind him.

"Why are you up so early?" Zuko mimicked, still keeping his eyes closed. He sighed, "I'm meditating, Uncle."

Iroh chuckled and sat down next to him. He looked at his nephews face, and for the first time, saw it completely peaceful. No emotion whatsoever, but this was unlike his stoic, expressionless face he put on before his people. No, he was at peace with himself. Or so it looked.

"I can see." Iroh finally answered. Zuko sighed and opened his eyes. Iroh gasped. "Your eyes are bloodshot! Have you gotten any sleep?"

Zuko groaned as he got up. "No, Uncle, I havn't!" He boomed, flailing his arms. "I havn't gotten any sleep, because I physically cannot sleep! Yet I'm tired. No, I'm _exhausted_, physically and emotionally. And I can't get any fucking sleep in!" He was in full rage-mode. He was not planning on blowing up like that infront of his uncle; let alone anyone. But he couldn't take it anymore, he couldn't handle the anger building up inside. He paced around the garden angerly, trying to drown the sense to through fire balls around the enclosure.

"Zuko," Iroh said sternly. He got up and made his way over to his manic nephew, clasping down in his shoulders. "You need help. You need to talk about what is going on in your head!" he advised. Zuko grunted and shook his uncle's hands off. He walked over to the turtleduck pond, and looked in his own reflection. This time, he really looked at himself. What he saw, though, he didn't like. He saw an anger driven bastard, who lived off of rage and demands. He had bags under his eyes, and his eyes were, as Iroh had noted, bloodshot. The red in the whites of his eyes made his gold iris's look even more gold. He noticed his jaw was clenched, and slowly released it. When he saw the anger wash off his face, he saw a broken man. An overstressed, overtired, overworked man who lived for other people and who was afraid to open up to anyone. A man who didn't want anyone carrying his burdon.

He fell to his knees, and Iroh quickly rushed over and placed two hands on the young Fire Lords back. Iroh himself held back tears. "Please, talk to me. Right now. We're going to make this better."

Zuko sat up and fell back, sitting cross legged. He grunted. "Fine. Where should I start?" Iroh exhaled and smiled. "Your dreams, since dreams can be an insight of ones feelings."

Zuko groaned and put his head in his heads. "Well, a lot of them are about my Mother. And some of them are about Katara, but those aren't scary, most of the time. Just abnormal. The one's about my Mother are frightening, to the point where I wake up sweaty with... With tears down my face. I scare Katara everytime," he shook his head and let out a breath he wasn't aware he was holding in. He looked over to the sky, where the sun was rising. He wasn't sure he could talk anymore.

Iroh, on the other hand, was ready to get to the bottom of this. "What are the ones about Katara?" he questioned. He saw Zuko's face redden a little bit, before he cleared his throat.

"Well, in most of them, I'm... Well... A dad. But I'm like Ozai, and I treat my kids unfairly, and I disrespect Katara. But I had one this morning," he gulped, "I had a dream that Ozai was... Was beating Katara. Or, who I thought was Ozai. Punching her. Hard. And then the more the foggyness of it cleared, the more it resembled my face. I remember seeing my scar, and that's when I woke up."

He was silent again. Iroh felt bad, pushing Zuko like this. "Is that why you're afraid to marry Miss Katara?" Iroh questioned. Zuko only shook his head. "I don't want to talk anymore."

Iroh nodded. "Understandable," he said. "I advise you talk with Miss Katara about this. She can help you. Telling her your thoughts will be the first steps in opening up to her more; realising that you can trust her with more than you know," He smiled warmly. "She really loves you, Nephew. Don't disappoint her." Zuko tried his best to smile back, and got up and left. He went back into the bedroom, where Katara was sleeping soundly. He sighed, gazing upon her. She already adopted his pillow, hugging it as if her life depended on it. She was in one of Zuko's tunics, and it was slightly opened. Zuko smirked and got into bed with her.

He removed the pillow from under her, which made her stir. "Zuko?" She mumbled. "That's my pillow..." she protested. Zuko chuckled as he wrapped his arms around her, replacing her pillow with his warm body. "This works too," she said, then sighed contently. Zuko held her close, feeling her heartbeat on his own chest. Her head was tucked under his chin, and she curled up against him. Soon, she was asleep. Again.

Zuko didn't want to sleep though; no, he only wanted her comfort. He wanted the feeling that she would be there for him, no matter what. All he felt he could do was hold on and try to never let go. He tightened his arms around her and listened to her breathing.

Hours later, when she stirred, they were in the same position. Zuko had not slept.

"Good morning!" She said excitedly, kissing his jaw. "Excited for today?" She whispered. He wasn't sure why she was whispering, nor did he question it. Her giddyness was contagious, and he found himself grinning. He slowly nodded his head as he moved in for a kiss. Katara returned it gratifyingly, leaning into him. He licked her bottom lip asking for entrance, but she pulled away. She laughed at his expression before turning around to the bathroom.

"We need to pack! No time to play around, Mr. Fire Lord," she announced as she slipped into the bathroom. Zuko sighed and ran his hand through his hair. He laid back down in bed, and shut his eyes. Then, he remembered something. Something very important.

He shot up and hopped out of the bed, pulling on his boots and shirt. "I'll be back by noon," he yelled from the door. Before Katara could ask where he was going, she had already heard the door shut. She sighed and continued brushing her hair, before slicking it back into a simple pony-tail.

She assessed herself in the mirror. It had been a while since she's seen her family. She looks at her face, how it's thinned out. Her eyes look bluer, and her lips were more plump. She thought she was pretty, at the least. Hopefully she hasn't changed too much; she doesn't want her family to notice her becomming a woman. It's a bit awkward, to say the least.

She packed her warmest furs, for it was the springtime, and the South can be very, very cold during that time of year. Seeing all of her blue attire was a delightful memory; she never wore blue anymore. Mostly because she liked red better on her, and she knew Zuko did too. But, she knew she had to have blue to support her country, and her heritage. Or, Gran would be up her ass about that. It was best to just do it.

After maybe an hour of packing successfully, her mind wandered to Zuko and his attire. She realised he had nothing to wear. She decided to go to the market and get supplies so she could make him something nice and warm.

She quickly put her hair up in a messy bun and pulled on a long, high-waisted skirt, a red and gold wrapped short-sleeve shirt, and some black boots. Figuring she was appropriate enough, she began her journey to the market. She made her way to the front of the palace, and requested the gates me open. The guards gave her an uneasy look.

"Would you like protection while you're outside, Miss Katara?" One with a low, grizzly voice asked. The other one, she noted, seemed dumbstruck, and stayed perfectly still, watching her. Katara smiled and shook her head. "No, I'll be okay. Just tell Zuko I'm at the market."

They respectfully bowed, one albeit awkwardly, and made her way into the town. As she walked away, she heard the grizzly voiced guard yell at his companion, "Way to stare at the Fire Lords girl, Yuzo. Spirits!" She giggled softly to herself, realizing he was just staring at her. She nonchalantly made her way over to the market, trying to spy a fabric vendor.

She walked in and silently surveyed the room. There were fabrics everywhere, along with ribbons, string, anything a person could imagine in a fabric store. She walked over to the more thick ones, and ran her hands over them. Wool seemed like a good match, she assumed. She quickly decided to get him both red and blue fabrics, just for the sake of having both.

She grabbed the two shades of the colors she wanted and went to find help. She turned, but turned into a very familiar chest.

"Zuko?" She asked. The Fire Lords face reddened as he hid something behind his back. "Uh... I think you've mistaken me." He stammered as he ran the opposite direction. Katara laughed and caught him by the elbow with her free hand. Zuko surrendered and dragged himself back to face his petitie girlfriend.

"So, whatchya doin'?" Zuko asked nonchalantly. Katara narrowed her eyes and showed him the fabric. "Making you clothes for the South, since I know you won't last down there without the proper clothing. And you?" She questioned him, while eyeing him.

"Oh you know," He said, looking around the store. He grabbed onto a piece of nearby fabric and held it between his fingers. "Browsing." He gave her an innocent smile, which made her think he was lieing. She smirked at him and attempted to peer around him, which he dodged. "What are you looking for, love?" He smirked. Katara blew out a frustraighted sigh and put her hands on her hips.

"Come on, what's behind your back?" Zuko smirked and shook his head. "It's a secret." Katara rolled her eyes, but then they lit up. "For me?" Zuko nodded. Katara gave another exasperated sigh and put her hands up. "Okay, okay. But you have to show me it soon, okay?" She gave him a winning smile, which was contagious, for he found himself smiling too. He nodded his head and walked backwards to the counter. He was out of earshot, and talking with the cashier. The cashier, Katara noticed, looked overwhelmed with joy that the Fire Lord had chosen his store to shop at. Zuko glanced over to Katara, smirked, and motioned the cashier to come closer. Katara, intrigued and utterly confused, knitted her eyebrows together, watching the scene unfold.

Zuko put up a hand to cover his mouth and whipsered something to the cashier. When they pulled apart, the cashier, too, glanced over at Katara and smiled at her, and then clasped his hands together, nodding. They then went into the backroom, but not without Zuko sneaking a wink at his waterbender.

Katara huffed and continued browsing, wondering what they could be doing back there. She eventually set on the two fabrics she orignially picked out, and walked to the front of the shop. She waited, and waited. Zuko and the cashier had been back there for a while. Katara looked for a bell to obnoxiously ring, but found none. To keep herself occupied, she made a list of things she had to do in preparation for returning home.

She needed to help Zuko pack, make his South Pole clothes, and send a letter to her family before they leave. Giving them a heads up would be appropriate, Katara figured. Her giddyness was returning, and she couldn't help but smile to herself. She could finally see everyone again; Sokka, Suki, Gran, Pakku and her father. It's been too long, and she wanted her father to meet Zuko and approve. Though, she felt it would be hard for a father to turn down her daughter marrying a Fire Lord, but one can't be too sure.

Finally, after what seemed like ages, Zuko and the man returned from the backroom. Zuko was holding a brown paperbag in his hands, and he grinned at Katara. He walked over next to her and thanked the cashier.

"Is that all, Master Katara?" He asked. Katara nodded and smiled, despite the fact she was suspicious on what had gone on between him and her boyfriend. She handed him the fabric and he quickly rang her up. They bid their thanks and goodbyes, and the couple made their own way back to the palace.

Walking around the town with Zuko was deffinantly... odd to Katara. She hung onto his arm, like any other couple would do, but she found many people staring. She was used to the staring, but she felt really close to the citizens. Normally, Zuko and Katara would be in some sort of transporation. Now they were simply walking, like everyone else. Zuko was smiling and nodding, reguarding his people like a nobel Fire Lord would.

They strolled through the town with grace. They arrived at the palace a time later. Katara excused herself to go write a letter to her family, announcing their arrival. Zuko went to packing. He quickly packed away his brown bag first, then his clothes and personal items. He didn't have to pack much; just some long sleeved things for the cold. This would be his first time back at the South Pole since he attacked there, just days after Aang was released from his ice tomb. That was nearly three years ago. He gulped, hoping Katara's grandmother wouldn't hate him for attacking their helpless tribe.

Katara bounded in the room with a scroll in your hand. "Is that your letter?" Zuko questioned. Katara shook her head and handed him the scroll. "It's for you, I just sent my letter out on the fastest messenger hawk. Hopefully he'll get there before we do."

Zuko took the scroll and read the insignia. It was from the Earth Kingdom. Zuko groaned. "I swear, if it's from that idiot Governer asking for help, I'm going to replace him. No mercy this time." Zuko regretted keeping Mai's father as the governer of Omashu, since King Bumi and the Fire Nation had made a small alliance. Zuko broke open the seal, and immediantly recognized the handwriting.

"What does he want?" Katara asked, while brushing her hair out. Zuko shook his head.

"It's not him." He mumbled.

"Oh," Katara sighed. "Who is it, then?"

"Mai."

Katara stopped brushing her hair and looked at Zuko through the mirror. Zuko could almost laugh with the jealousy appearing on her face. He never thought she'd be the jealous type, yet she was. Despite the fact she'd never admit that.

"What does it say?" She asked. Zuko scanned the letter, a smile tugging at his lips. "She said she took my advice, and... And went to Kyoshi with Ty Lee."

Katara turned away, hands on her hips and a perfect eyebrow cocked. "And your advice was...?"

"I can't really remember, but it was something around the lines of... 'fuck your parents'. I guess she ran away." Katara laughed and walked over to him. "You were always great at giving advice." Zuko playfully scoffed and rolled his eyes. Katara skimmed the letter over his shoulder:

_Zuko,_

_I just wanted to apologize for my behavior as of late. I was confused and acting immature. I took your advice and left my parents. I'm at Kyoshi with Ty Lee and the warriors. No, I'm not becoming a Kyoshi Warrior. I just needed time away so I can think about what I'm going to do. They can't control me anymore, and that's thanks to you. Again, I'm really sorry about acting the way I did._

_Oh, and tell Katara I'm sorry for flinging my stilettos and needles at her. She seems like a good match for you, and I sincerely hope you're happy with her. I hope in the future we all can get along._

_Mai_

"Well, that was short and sweet," Katara mumbled. Zuko grunted and rolled the letter back up. He walked over and stuffed it in the drawer. "I'll write her on the ship, I guess." He sighed. He turned and took his waterbender in his arms, wrapping them around her. She wrapped her tiny arms around his waist and held onto him tight.

"Ready to go?" Zuko murmured into her hair. He felt her nod against his chest, and he pulled away. Katara quickly grabbed his arm and latched on. They got their things and made their way down to the stable, where they would again get the transportation to go to the docks. Before they got in, Iroh ran up behind them.

"Have a good trip, tell everyone I said hello," Iroh smiled. "Zuko, remember you have a meeting with that fellow after you come back. And that I will be back in Ba Sing Se when you return." Zuko nodded and hugged his uncle. Katara was next, and Iroh hugged her tightly. They got into the carriage and set off towards the docks.

"Zuko, I am so excited for you to see the South Pole! Since Dad and Sokka teamed up, it's evolved a lot. Everythings made of white brick, so it won't be cold indoors. Oh, and you get to meet my gran gran and Pakku! I'm so happy..." She chirped on and on, with Zuko listening happily. He was excited, but nervous. Nervous that her grandmother wouldn't trust him, even though he had saved her life multiple times.

"Zuko?" Katara nudged his arm and took him away from thoughts. "You're happy, right?" She asked. Zuko smiled down at her and kissed the crown of her head.

"Of course I am, Kitten." He reassured her. She cocked her eyebrow, knowing there was more. Zuko sighed. Iroh had once said letting her into his thoughts would be helpful. He took a breath.

"Just... Nervous." He admitted. Katara 'aww'd' and smiled at him sweetly. "For what?" She asked. He felt his neck heat up, slowly crawling up to his face. "Just that... Your grandmother wouldn't trust me."

Katara outright laughed. Zuko looked down at her with a puzzled expression. "You saved my life more than once, and I've been with you for over two years. Why in the world would she not trust you?"

Zuko gulpled nervously and laughed a little. "The first, and only, time I met her was when I attacked your village. Remember?" He reminded her. Katara thought about it, and then her eyes widened. But her smile never faltered.

"Zuko, she won't care. That was in the past. Trust me." She smiled up at him again, reassuring him. He agreed and they were quiet until they reached the docks. Men unloaded their things and onto the ship. Katara and Zuko made their way up into the ship.

After a few minutes, they set off. The weather was chilly, and being on the boat made it more cold. Katara quickly went to making Zuko's coats for the South. Zuko himself stayed on the bow of the ship, looking out to sea. The wind hit him in the face, and the sound of the ocean was calming. Despite being a firebender, he really adored the sea. He loved how graceful it can be, and how violent. Just like Katara, he thought to himself with a smirk.

He decided to try and get some sleep. He had a long day, and wanted to be rested up for the South. He had a big impression to make if he wanted to go along with his plan.

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><p><strong>I hope this was good! I feel like it's kind of rushed or something, though I worked on it all week. Please review! I love them, and appreciate them sosososo much.<strong>

**Since it's saturday, Korra premiered today. Ugh. I'm so excited for this! Makorra Makorra Makorra Makorra.**


	8. Chapter 8

Days later, the couple was finally nearing their destination. The chilling winds and icy seas were enough of an indication. The closer they got, and the colder the weather became, Zuko felt his mood lighten. It was an odd thing for that to happen; he never fancied the cold. He felt it was out of his element. He could not stand it, normally. But now that he has gotten to know Katara better, he noticed things he used to hate, he now enjoyed. He assumed it was due to Katara's unnatural sense of love and hope.

The couple stood in the main bedroom on the ship. Katara was fitting Zuko for his fourth winter jacket. It was a nice, dark blue coat that went down past his waist, with fur trimming the bottom. He was sweating, much to his dislike. Katara told him he wouldn't be sweating in it while in the south, and that he needed to bear with her while she fitted him.

She made sure everything fit nicely; wasn't too tight, and wasn't too lose. She took a step back and gazed at her lover, a smile dancing on her face. Zuko looked down at his attire and back up at Katara, a little befuddled.

"What?" Zuko prodded. Gold eyes met bright blue eyes, and her smile grew even more. Zuko, still being quite a pessimest, assumed she was laughing at him. "I look stupid, don't I?" He said, morely a statement than a question. Katara eyed him up and down again.

"I really, really llike the color blue on you," she finally stated. Zuko felt a blush creep up onto his neck, but tried to sustain it. "Really?" He asked. She nodded and took a few steps forward, wrapping her arms around his neck. He slowly snaked his arms around her small waist and pulled her flush against him. She buried her face in the crook of his shoulder, enhaling him. When his hand moved to cup her chin, their lips quickly met halfway, fierce with passion.

Zuko slid his hand from her chin, slowly down her neck and arm, carressing. He reached the top of her skirt when they were slightly lurched forward, and the ship halted. Katara immediantly pushed away, despite Zuko's protests.

"Oh, La, Zuko! We can't do this now," Katara scolded him lovingly. "We're here! I need to get dressed." She threw on her own warm clothing. In a flash she was out of the room and down the metal hallway. He first checked himself in the mirror, to see if he looked presentable. He knew he shouldn't be worried, but he wanted to make the best impression on her family. He tried to drown any feelings of doubt and nervousness, which was unsuccessful. He quickly made his way out the ship. The bridge from ship to land had not even finished being lowered when Katara began running down it. Zuko smirked at her giddyness, and was close behind her. When the drawbridge finally lowered, Zuko saw a small group of people waiting for them.

The first Zuko saw was Sokka. His hair was long, in the style of his fathers. He had two small braids on the side of his head, with blue beads in it. He had grown and matured a lot. Zuko feared his friend was now taller than him.

As Zuko made his descent down the bridge, he saw Hakoda. Zuko had never really gotten a good look at the man, but he looked strong and wise. He had a warm smile on his face while hugging his daughter tightly.

Zuko next spotted Katara's infamous Gran, who looked tiny compared to her tall son-in-law and grandson. She was smilling warmly at Zuko, both of her hands tucked in her sleeves. Sokka was the next to notice Zuko, and bolted towards him.

"Zuko!" Sokka yelled, and began sprinting over with his arms open. Zuko grinned at his best friend, and began to walk faster down the bridge. They met in the middle, in a very not-so-manly hug. Sokka, of course, realised how unmanly it looked, but he hadn't seen his best friend in such a long time, he felt it was appropriate.

"Agni, Sokka. You're almost as tall as I am," Zuko joked. Sokka pulled away and stood up straighter, comparing himself to the older man.

"No, we're deffinanlty the same height. Sorry to say, Mr. Fire Lord," Sokka joked. They hugged again, and then rejoined the group. Katara had now moved to her grandmother, who clutched her grand-daughter endearingly. Katara pulled away and took Zuko by the hand, and pulled him closer. She cluthed his arm and then gestured to him.

"Gran, this is Zuko. And Zuko, this is my Gran," She introduced them. She was so happy that she had finally gotten the most two important people in her life to meet. She clutched Zuko's arm out of sheer happiness, and watched her grandmothers expression. Gran squinted her eyes, seeing as she had to look up towards the sun to see his face.

"Aren't you the one who came to our village all those years ago?" She blurted. Katara's blood froze, and she felt Zuko stiffen underneath her grasp. She looked up to her boyfriends face, who, not suprisingly, was showing no emotion.

"Er..." Zuko began uncomfortably, shifting from one leg to the other. "Yeah. Sorry about that." He shot her his most charming smile, hoping she wasn't one of those people to hold a grudge. Gran continued looking at him, but then broke into a smile and hugged her granddaughter and her boyfriend.

"Welcome to the family, Zuko," she said happily. Zuko let out a breath of relief, as did Katara. She knew her Gran was just pulling his leg. At least, that's what she's going to convince herself.

The trio pulled themselves away from each other and all smiled. Katara saw the genuine admiration in her grandmothers eye, and knew that she liked Zuko. Hakoda walked over and patted Zuko on the back. "It's nice to see you, Fire Lord."

Zuko chuckled. "Please, just Zuko. I'm really happy to be here." Hakoda smiled at Zuko. "Well, let's go into the house! I'm sure you're cold," Hakoda told them. Katara nodded and held onto her boyfriend as they all walked toward the home.

As they walked closer to the villiage, Katara couldn't help but be mesermised and how much it's changed. The igloos were now white stone buildings, with two floors. There were lanterns on the snowy paths around the city, and many people were milling about.

"How many people have moved here since the war, Dad?" Katara asked. Hakoda hummed, indicating he was thinking. "A litttle under five hundred, I believe. Ever since we made an alliance with the Northern Water Tribe, many people have been coming and going."

Katara nodded, and continued looking at everyone. This place seemed so alive, compared to the last time she was here. It was desolate, and small. Now it was thriving. She felt so happy to see this place alive again. It made her heart expand, and she couldn't wipe the smile off of her face. It was almost as busy as the Fire Nation capitol. Katara was glad for this; she didn't think she could deal with a desolate village with a grand total of 30 people as the population.

They finally arrived to the middle of the town, where two large homes stood. Hakoda walked over and gestured to the homes. "This is our new home! Sokka and Suki's is next door," he told them. Katara admired the houses, so different from their igloos. Of course, she was used to living in the big, overly- luxorious palace, but she loved the quaint homes her family had no resided in.

They walked into her father and Gran's home first, to be welcomed by Pakku. He held out his arms to Katara. "There's my grand-daughter," he smiled at her. She let go of Zuko's arm and ran into her grandfathers arms. "Pakku! It's so nice to see you after such a long time," Katara rambled into his shoulder. She pulled back and looked at him, he didn't age at all.

"As it is to see you, Katara. My, you've grown into such a beautiful young woman," he paused, and looked at Zuko. "And this is your new Fire Lord boyfriend, hm?" He walked over to Zuko and shook his hand.

"It's an honor to meet you, Master Pakku," Zuko greeted. Pakku laughed. "Please, just Pakku!" Zuko smiled and nodded his head. He looked about the home; it was very elegant and quaint at the same time. He admired the way the Southerners live; almost envied it. He felt a strong hand pat his back.

"I'll show you to your room," Hakoda said. Zuko nodded and picked up his and Katara's things. He hoped that her father wasn't so protective that he wouldn't let them sleep in the same room. Not that they'd get into... nighttime activites, because Zuko felt plain awkward at the fact that her family was in the same house.

They made their way up the stairs into the warm upperpart of the house. They walked down a long hallway, filled with Water Tribe antiques and new portraits. Hakoda gestured to the door at the end of the hallway.

"This is your room for the duration of your stay," he eyed the couple. "No funny business." was all he said before going back downstairs. Zuko's face reddend and he looked at Katara, whos face was just as red. She cleared her throat awkwardly and went into the room.

"Katara," her gran called. "Make sure you keep up with your herbs!"

Katara gasped. "Spirits, Gran!"

Her gran winked and then shut the door behind her. Zuko and Katara were alone. "Your Gran is... something special," Zuko commented. Katara scoffed.

"Yeah, something like that." She smiled at her boyfriend and wrapped her arms around his middle. He happily hugged her back. "I knew they would like you," she whispered into his chest.

"I'm just glad that they do," he murmured into her hair. They stayed like that for a few minutes, before moving to unpack and settle into the new home.

Zuko felt himself admiring their new bedroom. It was totally Water Tribe; totally Katara. White walls, blue sheets and curtains. A big, wooden bed with wood bed tables and a huge wooden dresser. The art on the walls were beautiful; probably antiques. Battle shields, paintings, and pelts. He found himself loving the Water Tribe culture; even their food wasn't half bad. He felt like he could stay here forever, and they've only been here for an hour or so.

Katara finished packing and flopped down onto the bed, bringing Zuko down with her. He pulled her ontop of him, kissing her the top of her head. She squeezed his middle, and enhaled his scent. Suddenly, she felt very tired and lethargic. That trip had taken a beating on her, and she was so thankful to be on land again. Sleeping on a ship was not something she liked to do.

"I'm going to sleep," she mumbled into his chest. Zuko chuckled and pulled the covers from under him and over them, wrapping Katara in them.

He realised she was asleep in seconds, a soft snoring coming from her mouth. He hoped no one came in on them, for he would be very, very embarassed. Especially if it was her Gran. Zuko couldn't imagine the things that woman would say...

Eventually, Zuko had fallen asleep as well. He wasn't sure how long after Katara did, for he was laying there for a while, brushing his hands through her hair, across her back, and traced the contours of her face. Then, sleep captured him.

He had a dream, as well. For once, it was a pleasant dream. A dream of something he hoped would be his future. They were all in his dining room at the palace. Iroh, Toph, Aang, Hakoda, Gran, Pakku, Sokka, Suki, even Azula. Zuko was positive this was a dream, because his mother was also there, chatting to the side with Iroh. He was filled with immense happiness, seeing his mother again.

He was sitting at the head of the table, watching everyone. He wasn't sure why everyone was there. They all looked happy, like they were celebrating something. And then, Katara came in.

A very, very pregnant Katara. She was beautiful, dressed in pretty red robes and her hair done in a long sidebraid. It was so long that it touched her extended belly. Zuko loved looking at Katara like that. He felt immense happiness, watching her waddle over to a chair next to him. He loved Katara with child. She looked so motherly and happy; glowing. He couldn't hear anyone talking to him, he was just so focused on his waterbenders belly.

When he reached out to touch it, then scene changed. It dissolved and he was left in darkness. Then, they were in the palace's hospital room. Zuko looked around, and it was dark. Very dim lighting, only by candles. He looked before him, and saw Katara laying in a bed, writing in pain. She still had her extended tummy, and Zuko put together that she was in labor. She was screaming bloody murder in writing in her bed. Zuko was holding her hand, but he couldn't feel it.

That scene only lasted a few seconds, for before he knew it, he was being handed a red bundle. He was hesitant, but took the baby. He gently moved the blanket from the babies face and looked upon it.

Golden eyes, identical to his, stared back. Black whisps of hair, and skin a shade lighter than its mothers. Zuko smiled, and the babe smiled back. He was so happy, he couldn't be happier.

Then he woke up. Katara was off of his chest, but snuggled off to his side. He grasped her closer, relishing his dream. He wanted, no, needed that dream to become a reality. He decided that he was going to propose to her, and soon. Then wed her, and have children. He finally felt ready for this.

Katara stirred and sat up, rubbing her eyes. "Hello, sleepyhead," he greeted her. Katara giggled and poked his side.

"I know you were asleep too, mister," she chided jokingly. She got out of bed and brushed through her brown locks. "We're going to dinner soon, okay? Get ready." Zuko lazily nodded and readied himself. He got up and put on his clothing, but did not dress too warmly. Simple shirt, pants, and moccosin boots would do. He looked at Katara, who had finished putting herself together, and his heart nearly stopped. She was wearing a knee length, blue dress with fur lined around the edges, black tights and boots. He hadn't seen her looking so Water Tribe in a while, and realised he loved it.

He walked over and grabbed her waist, pulling her into him. "You look lovely," he murmured into her hair. She wrapped her arms around his neck. "As do you, Fire Lord."

Just then, the door opened. Before they could detatch themselves from one another, the intruder spoke. "Get off of each other and meet us for dinner!" called GranGran. Katara pushed herself from her boyfriend and told her they'd be down in a minute. Once Gran left, Katara looked over at Zuko, flushed. Zuko laughed and took her hand. She led them down the hallway and downstairs, where a table of food was ready for them.

Hakoda, Pakku, and Sokka were already sat down at the table. Katara took a seat on the side of Sokka, and Zuko sat next to her. Zuko scanned the table, but realised someone was missing.

"Hey, Sokka," Zuko called for his friend. "Where's Suki?"

"Oh," Sokka said, while biting into a slab of meat. "She had to go back to Kyoshi for a little bit. She'll be back in two days." Zuko nodded and began to eat. Gran sat down next to Pakku with another tray of feed; sea prunes. Zuko held back a gag and made note not to put that on his plate. They had a very quaint dinner, catching up on things. Hakoda seemed very interested in what was going on with the Fire Nation, for that was all he and Zuko talked about. Katara talked with Sokka about Suki, and the elders kept to themselves.

Once the feast was over, they all excused themselves. Sokka took Katara out to the town to show her a waterbending class that was happening. Gran was cleaning up, and Pakku helped. That left Hakoda and Zuko. Zuko took this as his chance.

"Er, Hakoda," Zuko called. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" Hakoda nodded and went ouside for some more privacy with his daughters boyfriend.

"Is everything alright, Zuko?" He asked, obviously concered. Zuko shook his head. "No, not at all. Quite the opposite actually," he laughed nervously. Spirits, why was he so nervous? He had gone over this over and over again in his head, but now he just can't get the words out.

"I was going to, er, ask for permission for Katara's hand," he spit out in a jumbled mess. Hakoda smiled at the boys modesty and brought his hands to his shoulders.

"Of course, Zuko. I couldn't imagine someone a better candidate than you. You're a good man, and I can tell. You have my permission," he said graciously. Zuko let out a sigh of relief. Had he knew that would have been so easy, he would have said it sooner. He thanked his soon to be father in law, and went back into the home. Now, all Zuko had to do was figure out where the best spot to propose to her would be.

A time later, the siblings came home. Katara had leaded the water bending lessons, much to the classes pleasure. She felt good teaching against, for she surely missed it. They all gathered in the small living room. Gran and Pakku took seats on the couch, and Sokka and Hakoda resided in two armchairs. Zuko and Katara took the floor infront of the fireplace.

"Oh! Zuko, I need to show you this before it's too late. You'll love it," Sokka called. Zuko agreed for the adventure, and dressed warmly. The two friends made their way out of the house, and out of the villiage. Zuko was curious as to where Sokka was taking him, but didn't ask questions.

Soon, Zuko saw it. Beautiful lights in the sky, filled with warm colors. "Wow, Sokka. This is so neat," Zuko marveled. Sokka crossed his arms and looked up at the sky.

"Yeah," he reminisced. "This was Katara's favorite place to be as a kid. I'd always find her here." He smiled at the memory.

"Sokka, I'm going to propose to her," Zuko blurted excitedly. Sokka looked at him and smiled huge. "Dude, congrats!" He ran over and patted his friend on the back. "You know, this would be the perfect place to ask her. She'd love it," Sokka suggested.

Zuko hummed appreciativly. "I will. This is perfect. Thank you for showing this place, Sokka." The two stayed there for a while in silence, breathing in the freezing air and gazing upon the lights. The mood was happy and content, and Zuko was so pleased with how the vacation was already going.

All he had to do was get the guts to get Katara out here and propose.

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><p><strong>I'm so sorry this took so long! I've been obsessed with Legend of Korra, writing fics and such as. This was sort of a filler, the next chapter is where its at. I will come out with that a lot quicker, promise! Please review! x<strong>


	9. Chapter 9

**Here it is, Chapter 9! It's going to be really fluffy, okay. Enjoy :) I appreciate all the reviews so far! I honestly love hearing from everyone, you all are awesome! x**

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><p>The next morning, Zuko found himself awake just when the sun began to rise into the sky. Katara was curled up next to his side, clutching his shirt. They were covered in blankets, more than Zuko could count. He loved it that way though; waking up next to Katara, covered in blankets that warmed the both of them. He could easily get used to the Southern way of living. He was finally happy with himself. He found himself letting loose, and not caring about anything but the people he was surrounded with. He did not worry about the Fire Nation; not about the man who sought to know his mother; not even Ozai or Azula. He was perfectly isolated, yet he wasn't. He had to admit, it was one of the greatest feelings.<p>

Katara began to stir, mumbling something incoherent before opening her eyes and looking about the room. Zuko watched her cerulean eyes scan the room before landing on his own golden eyes. She smiled and pushed herself up to kiss him lightly.

"Oh, Zuko. I had the most amazing dream," she said while stretching, draping her arms over his body. He wrapped an arm around her and kissed the top of her head. "It was so perfect. It was the whole team back together. We were back at the Air Temple, sitting around a big table. We all looked much older, though. And we were all so happy and talkative. It made me really happy, until I woke up that is."

"One day, we'll get everyone back together again. I promise," he said as he kissed the top of her head again. She giggled, but then sighed. Zuko knew what she was going to say.

"I wonder if Aang would come..." she whispered. Zuko sighed and began stroking her hair. Her and Aang's breakup wasn't especially... clean.

_Before she knew it, Katara found herself straddling the Fire Lord in his own chambers, kissing his neck profusely and her robe slipping off her shoulder. She could tell Zuko was trying to resist, but couldn't find it in him. It was risky, what they were doing. They could get caught so easily, but Katara felt that it would be worth it._

_His hands eagerly grabbed at her hips, bringing her downward hard, grinding hers into his. He let out a struggled groan. "Katara... we shouldn't-"_

_Katara detatched her lips from his neck and looked down at him. "I don't care," she said, with a determined glint in her eye. Zuko sighed, rubbing his thumb over her hip repeatedly. She grasped his face and leaned down, catching his lips._

_The door opened, but neither one noticed. That is, until, when the intruder spoke out. "Katara?" it squeaked._

_The couple jumped, Zuko sitting up and Katara turning around, still on his lap._

_"Aang, I-" Katara couldn't get the rest out, for the young Avatar turned quickly on his heel in the other direction. "Oh spirits, what have I done..." Katara mumbled to herself. She slid off Zuko and sat next to him, her head on her hands with her elbows resting on her knees. A gut wrenching sob racked through the young waterbenders body._

_"Zuko, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry," she mumbled. She looked up at him, her bright blue eyes spilling over with tears, streaking down her face. "I need to find him."_

_Zuko nodded. "Of course," he told her. She smiled sympathetically at him before pushing herself off of the bed and running out the door, trying to fix her robes whilst doing so._

_Zuko knew it wouldn't be the same after that. Not for a long, long while, at least._

He nearly cringed at the memory. He could tell Katara was reliving it as well, so he decided to change the subject.

"How about we go down and get something to eat? You need to show me around," he told her. Katara nodded and smiled at him. They threw off the sheets and went downstairs, hand in hand. When they arrived, they were welcomed by Kanna's amazing home cooking set on the long table. Everything Katara could have imagined was on that table. Sea prunes, whaleseal meat, biscuits, her favorite yakcow milk, and so much more. Sokka, Hakoda, and Pakku were already seated, eating away at the food and happily chatting. Kanna came into the large room from the kitchen with a bowl of sea noodles in her hands.

"Ah, there you two are! I was just about to go up there and get your sorry butts out of bed," Kanna joked, smilling warmly at the couple. Katara laughed and Zuko grinned, still feeling slightly awkward around the family. The two took their seats and immediantly. Katara dug into the fresh sea noodles the second her grandmother set them on the table. She slurped them up, all eyes on here. She noticed the silence and looked around her.

"What? Havn't you seen a girl eat before?" She said, mouth full of noodles. Hakoda chuckled endearingly at his daughter. "Miss the Water Tribe cooking?"

Katara smiled, but looked at Kanna. "More like missing Gran's cooking. Plus, I'm so hungry for some reason," she remarked before grabbing a spoonfull of sea prunes.

"Well, maybe for lunch we can go to Narooks! It's this new place downtown, you'll love it," Sokka suggested. Katara nodded eagerly, whilst shoving sea prunes into her mouth.

Kanna clicked her tounge. "Katara, that is so unlady-like. I hope you don't eat like this constantly. Does she always do this, Zuko?" the older woman looked over to the Fire Lord, who found the whole situation entertaining. He looked over at Kanna and shook his head with a chuckle, but before he could answer, Katara quickly swallowed the sea prunes and interjected.

"La, Gran, I'm a growing girl! I need my food," the young waterbender retorted. Kanna shook her head and jokingly rolled her eyes. Katara continued. "And Sokka, I'll take you up on that suggestion. Narooks for lunch!"

Sokka agreed. "But first, we need to take Zuko out on a manly bonding time," Sokka inquired, smirking at Zuko. For some reason, Zuko felt Sokka was up to something.

Zuko looked at his friend hesitantly, "Alright, sure," he agreed. Sokka pumped his fists in the air triumphantly. "Don't worry, Katara. We'll have Zuko a total man by the time we bring him back to you," Sokka winked. Zuko swallowed nervously and looked over to Katara, who was still shoveling food into her mouth. She looked up at the men with her cheeks and mouth full of noodles, and nodded at them absent mindedly. She swallowed the noodles and looked over at Zuko.

"Good luck," she told him with false seriousness, and then smiled at him. She then looked at Sokka, who now was shoving walrus meat into his mouth. Kanna clicked her toungue again, wondering how she got such uncivilized grandchildren such as these two. "Where are you taking him?"

Sokka looked over at Hakoda, who answered for him. "Hunting. Pakku, Sokka, and I will take him over by the mountains, where all the good game is," he glanced at Zuko, "it's a good time, trust me."

Zuko nodded respectively at his girlfriends father, his soon to be father-in-law, he thought. Holding back the smug look on his face, he took another bite of his... whatever this meat could have been. He held back a gag; Water Tribe food was not his thing. The family quickly finished up their meal, not counting Zuko, and the men grabbed their coats and readied themselves to set off. Kanna had already busied herself with cleaning and putting away dishes, as did Katara. She looked after at the men, admiring how well they were taking Zuko in. Not like she didn't expect that; she knew Sokka and Zuko already considard themselves as brothers. She was just happy her father was making such an effort to get to know him.

"It's especially cold today, so bundle up! Even you, Fire Lord," Kanna forewarned before going into the kitchen with a handful of plates. Zuko chuckled and bundled himself up tighter. He caught Katara staring at him and smiled.

"Have I ever told you how much I love you in Water Tribe garb?" She asked him while walking over. Zuko chuckled, slightly embarassed since this exchange was infront of her father and older brother. Not suprisingly, Sokka stepped in to intervene before Katara had a chance to wrap her arms around her firebender. He stood infront of Zuko, holding Katara infront of him.

"Katara, leave the mushy weird stuff behind closed doors. This is a mans morning, got it?" Sokka ordered. Katara stuck out her toungue before she pushed him, quite roughly, out of the way and throwing her arms around Zuko's neck. Sokka protested, Hakoda chuckled.

"Have fun! Don't die or anything," Katara murmured into his neck. She pulled back to look at his grinning face. "Wasn't planning on that," he told her. She smiled and pecked him on the lips before detatching herself from him and going to the table to continue cleaning up.

"Let's go!" Sokka demanded, dragging Zuko out by his hood. "I promise, Katara, we won't hurt your delicate flowerbender."

"I can't promise that I won't hurt you, Sokka," Zuko grumbled. Sokka laughed it off and quickly dragged him out of the house, Hakoda following behind them.

Finally alone, Kanna came out of the kitchen. "He's a very good man, Katara," she proclaimed. "He'd make a great husband."

Katara felt a blush creep up her neck and onto her face. "I don't think he's ready for marriage, Gran," Katara sputtered. Kanna frowned and shook her head.

"Maybe not now, but I can tell by the way he looks at you he's in too deep." Kanna smiled at her young granddaughter. She was looking more like Kya everyday. "Your mother would have loved him. He was a lot like your father before you kids matured him," she declared. Katara looked up from picking up a glass on the table and looked at her grandmother incredulously.

"Seriously? Zuko's hot headed, rash, and, well, pretty stubborn," Katara listed, aspects she had never seen in her father.

Her grandmother only smiled warmly. "Yes, but he's also passionate, determined, and kind. That's exactly what your father was like. I think that's what your mother loved about him, that he was so difficult, and a challenge. They blended perfectly together, like you and the Fire Lord."

Katara blushed at the last comment. Maybe that was why her father took such a liking to Zuko; because they were alike. Whatever the reason was, she was all for it. And if this man trip that they were having will plunge Zuko into their culture, and score points with her father, then she would gladly accept that. Katara smiled at her grandmother and continued picking up glasses and plates from the table, hastily bringing them into the adjacent kitchen. She was lightly putting them down when her grandmother made the comment that she was _dreading_ to hear.

"So, how soon will I get great-grandbabies? Zuko's getting old, and I know he's going to need an heir," she winked. Katara nearly dropped the remaining plates in her hand as she spun around, gripping the counter.

"Gran! That is... Not in the cards right now, okay?" She breathed. Kanna chuckled and continued getting the rest of the dishes from the table. Katara held back a large sigh; this was going to be a long two weeks if her grandmother kept this up.

Meanwhile, the men had just reached their destination. They trudged through the snow, spears in hand. Zuko thanked the spirits it was not snowing, for if it was, he wouldn't be able to take it. So far, their journy had been content. Hakoda made more small talk about the Fire Nation, while Sokka updated them both on the whereabouts of the rest of the Gaang. Ty Lee was going to take over the Kyoshi Warriors, having learnt the most and being dedicated to their group, which was why Suki was back at Kyoshi in the first place. Toph and Aang were traveling the world together, visting villages and small cities to spread the word of peace.

Soon, they reached a comfortable silencce. No animals were in sight, but Zuko found the open land relaxing. It was just two colors, blue and white. A perfect scene that had the defineition of happiness written all over it. He could see why Katara loved the South so much, other than the fact that it was her home.

"Well, this sucks. There's no game!" Sokka complained, plopping down on a snow dune. Hakoda chuckled at his sons impatience.

"I do agree, it's strange none of the animals are out. Maybe they've moved places," he pondered aloud. Zuko was slightly relieved. He wasn't in the mood for killing animals.

"So, Fire Lord," Sokka started, looking at Zuko. "When are you gonna ask Katara the big question?"

Zuko sighed, taking a seat on the snowy ground. "I still need to make a necklace... So, I'm not really sure," he confided. Sokka snapped his fingers. "I can help you, no big deal!"

Zuko smiled at his friend. "Okay, but you need to do your best to keep it a secret. Hopefully Katara won't get upset if we start sneaking around."

"I'll just say we're going man things, she won't care," Sokka reassured him. Hakoda walked over and clasped Zuko on the shoulder.

"I'm glad you're staying in the tradition, Zuko. It means a lot you're going to spend your time making her a necklace, when I know proposals are different in the Fire Nation," Hakoda praised. Zuko felt overjoyed to have her father have so much respect for him.

"Of couse, sir. I know the wedding traditions here are different as well..." Zuko trailed off, unsure where else to head off with the sentance.

Hakoda chuckeld. "Then we'll have two weddings! I'm sure Katara wouldn't mind. If anything, you two can just have it blessed here."

Zuko smiled at the suggestion, loving it. He would love to go back to the South. Despite the cold, he loved it here. A thought popped into his head, causing him to frown. "The wedding wouldn't be for a while though."

"I... I want to find my mother. I want her to be there," he whispered. Sokka looked at the snow, frowning. Katara had mentioned briefly the fight for Zuko's mother in letters, and he wasn't sure how far along they were to finding her.

"Did find any leads?" Sokka asked.

Zuko shrugged, and turned his attention towards the southern warrior. "Sort of. We have a guy who thinks he knows where she is coming to the palace a few days after Katara and I return. I'm hoping he's the only lead we'll need."

"What makes you think he knows?" Hakoda asked, brows knitting together.

"He had sent a messenger who told us. Apparently, this guy works with transporting my mother. He knows everything about where she is, where she'll be going, etc."

Sokka stood up ubruptly. "What if he's a traitor?"

Zuko fumbled around with his gloves, thinking. "It's a chance we're going to have to take."

There was a silence between the men. Sokka wanted Zuko to get his mother back just as much as Zuko did. The guy deserved it. He wouldn't want another person without their mother, ever since his own was killed.

Hakoda looked around the open space, seeing nothing but snow and sky. He looked backward to the town. "We should go back. I don't think there's any game."

The boys nodded, and Zuko stood. "To Narooks!" Sokka announced, running ahead of the two.

Once alone Hakoda began speaking. "You know, Zuko, your relationship with my daughter reminds me of mine with Kya."

Zuko's brow lifted. "Really? How?"

Hakoda chuckled. "We both had very fiery attitudes, yet her mother was very level headed at times. I was the one who made the rash decisions."

"Yeah, that sounds like me and Katara," he joked. Hakoda laughed and clasped the man on the shoulder. "I'm glad you're going to join the family. I know how much Katara wants you to be her husband."

Zuko tried to swallow a blush. He had no idea that she had talked about that with her family. He felt like a jerk, for not proposing before.

"How... How did you propose to Kya?" Zuko asked, albeit awkwardly. Hakodas lips tugged into a reminiscent smile.

"Under the Northern lights. We had always visited there every now and then, and one day I just got down on my knee and asked her. Didn't even have a necklace, I just knew that I had to ask her then and there."

Zuko looked ahead at Sokka, still running towards the town. He smirked. "That's where Sokka suggested I ask Katara."

J

Hakoda smiled warmly. "It's a great spot, the ladies can't say no," he joked. Zuko chuckled, and they continued their journy to town. Once arrived there, Sokka told them he would go to Narooks and get reservations.

Zuko and Hakoda arrived at the home, but no one seemed to be downstairs. "Hello?" Hakoda called. They heard footsteps upstairs and scurry down. Kanna came down with a wet towel in her hands, looking a little tired.

"Katara's sick. Girl probably ate too much," she chided. "We'll stay behind," she told them with a sad smile.

Zuko shook his head and took off his coat. "I'll stay with her, you can go."

"Are you sure?" She asked, placing the towel on the railing to dry. Zuko nodded his head and smiled. "Positive. Narooks will be here tomorrow."

Kanna shrugged. "Alright. She upstairs." She made her way to pull on her coat, with Hakodas help. Once it was on, she pointed a finger at Zuko. "No funny business, mister," she said, and then smiled. Zuko nodded, blushing profusely. The two left and Zuko went upstairs into their room.

Katara was on the bed, reading a scroll. When he came in, she immediantly put down the scroll and held out her arms, pouting. "I"m sick."

Zuko chuckled and made his way over to the bed, laying down and wrapping her arms around her waist, pulling her on top of him. "I know. Your gran said it was because you ate too much."

Katara scoffed. "I'm sure that's not the case." She buried her nose into his neck, and he instinctivly tightened his arms around her.

"Then what is the case?"

Katara huffed. "I don't know. Can we just lay here, please?"

"Of course, Kitten," he mumbled. They lay there, Katara trying to ward of the sick and Zuko thinking up of designs for her betrothal necklace. He wanted it to be blue, like her mothers, but have a mixture of the water and fire symbol. Or the charm would be purple, with a blue ribbon. He inwardly sighed, knowing he'd have to talk to Sokka about it. Zuko's thoughts were interrupted when Katara suddnely ripped herself from her man and ran out the room, into the bathroom. Zuko tried to follow her, but the door was locked.

He sighed impatiently, waiting for her wretching to be done. When finished, she opened the door and frowned. He took her back to the bedroom and helped her lay down. She had no fever, and no other signs of a flu. Just the sickness.

"By the way," Katara mumbled, grabbing Zuko's attention. "A messenger hawk came for you today. The notes on the table."

Zuko reached over and opened the scroll, scanning it.

_Fire Lord Zuko,_

_The man who has claimed to know your mothers whereabouts is arrving sooner than we expected. If you would like, I'll interrogate him first so you and the Lady Katara could stay at her home a while longer. Whatever information we recieve, I promise not to go ahead with any plan until you arrive home._

_Love,_

_Iroh_

Zuko scanned the letter once more, anxiety filling his senses. He was so close to finding his mother... hopefully.

"What was it about?" Katara asked sleepily. Zuko set the letter down and went back next to Katara.

"The visitor knowing about my mother is arriving sooner than expected. Uncle is taking care of it," he told her. She only nodded her head in response, feeling sleepy.

Zukos arms circled around her, pulling her in. She buried her face in his warm chest, thankful that he was there with her. She drifted off into a deep, dreamless sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>I know it's almost been a month since I've updated and I know this came out really shitty and I know blahblah yeah so I'm sorry. School is finally out though! Gives me more time to work on stuff :) Review!<strong>


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